Never Let You Go
by mvpsoccerchick
Summary: "I know I've promised you this before, but this time is gonna be different.  I'll never let you go again."  Takes place 2 years after graduation, starting from the flashback in episode 5x05.  BRUCAS
1. One Night

**One Night**

"Or…you could stay…"

Lucas pulled Brooke back down to him, pressing his lips against her own. He didn't know what had given him the courage to do it, probably the alcohol they had both consumed throughout the night, but he didn't care. All he knew was that he loved this feeling, his lips against hers, and he didn't want it to end. In that moment, he wasn't thinking about Peyton or their breakup. He was thinking about how he had gone so long without Brooke Davis in his life. Lucas was surprised to find Brooke kissing him back, and he wondered if she was feeling everything that he was.

"Mmm…"

Brooke moaned into the kiss. She was completely caught off guard when Lucas kissed her. All of her feelings for him came rushing back to the surface with this single brush of his lips. She didn't think she would ever feel this way again. She didn't want to feel this way about him ever again, not after all of the heartache he had caused her in the past. He couldn't possibly still have any feelings for her. He had just broken up with Peyton, her best friend, and she needed to stop this. She needed to stop causing herself so much heartache, because she knew Lucas Scott was the one boy she would lose everything for.

"Okay…" murmured Brooke as she placed her hands against his chest and pulled away from him. She locked eyes with him as she did and immediately noticed the hurt in them. He sat on the bed looking up at her as she stood in front of him. "I think that might be the second stupidest thing you've done in the last twenty four hours."

Lucas sighed as he continued to gaze at Brooke with pleading eyes, and he immediately regretted what had just happened. He didn't want to lose her. He should have known that she was over him by now, even if he wasn't over her. It had been over two years since they were together, but everything about the night they had just shared felt so real and perfect. It was how he wanted things to be…with Brooke.

"Luke, we're not in high school anymore," Brooke started. She had to get it through his head that he was just rebounding because Peyton rejected him. That had to be what he was doing. It couldn't be anything more than that…it just couldn't.

He knew where she was going with this statement, and he didn't want her to go there because this wasn't about Peyton. His relationship with Peyton couldn't even compare to his relationship with Brooke. He cared about Peyton, but he loved Brooke. As he looked her in the eyes, he knew he was still in love with her. He told her a long time ago that he was going to fight for her, and that's what he had to do now.

"I know, Brooke. I'm glad we're not back in high school, because I hurt you so much then. I made you so many promises, and I haven't kept any of them. I'm so sorry. I've been blinded by this idea that Peyton and I are perfect for each other, but we're not. I don't want her. I've never wanted her, but everyone pushed her on me, and made me believe that I was supposed to be with her," explained Lucas.

"You chose her," said Brooke, her voice shaking. Tears filled her eyes, but she wouldn't let them fall. She couldn't believe the effect that he was having on her. Lucas knew she was talking about the night of the state championship basketball game, the night he gave in to the pressures of everyone and got together with Peyton.

"No, I didn't. You pushed me towards her that night. I wanted you, Brooke. You're the one I want standing next to me when all my dreams come true. You were the one I was first with that night, and here you are now," continued Lucas as he continued to melt her heart with his words, "This night has been a realization for me. Pretty girl…"

"Don't call me that," Brooke advised him. She couldn't hold back the tear that instantly rolled down her cheek as he called her by the old nickname he had for her. Lucas stood up and brought his hand to her cheek carefully wiping her tear away. All Brooke wanted to do was kiss him and give her heart what it wanted, but she was hesitant. "I love you, Brooke," admitted Lucas honestly. He felt a huge weight lifted off of his shoulders as he said this; this truth that he had been carrying around for years. "I've never stopped loving you. That day you broke up with me, my whole world fell apart, and I'm finally seeing things clearly again now," he went on. Lucas reached for Brooke's hand and interlocked his fingers with hers. He thought she would pull away from him, but she didn't. "This ring, Keith's ring, it's meant to be on your finger," he said staring deeply into her eyes.

"You can't do this to me, Lucas," pleaded Brooke, "You can't just say things like that to me."

"Why not?" he returned, "It's true. That kiss wasn't me trying to forget about Peyton. This isn't about Peyton. Brooke, this is about me and you. Tell me how you feel, honestly. You can't possibly tell me that you didn't feel anything in that kiss."

Brooke closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She squeezed his hand, their fingers still interlocked. She didn't know how she was going to tell him this. How could she tell him that she was still in love with him after all these years? After all the heartache? Lucas gently put a finger to her chin and tilted her head up to him, causing her to open her eyes and look at him. He was searching her eyes pleadingly for a response. Brooke gazed into his eyes, reading him. This was real. She wasn't dreaming, and she knew in her heart that he was truly being honest with her.

"I love you," she suddenly said just above a whisper.

"What?" Lucas asked in surprise. He knew what she said, but he couldn't believe it. He wanted to smile with happiness.

"I love you, Lucas," repeated Brooke, "I'm in love with you. I've tried to hide my feelings, but I can't do it anymore. I don't want to hide behind my wall anymore. I just want to be happy, and I want you."

Lucas placed his hands on Brooke's cheeks and pressed his lips against hers gently. Brooke moaned at the feeling of his lips against hers. She missed this, and she didn't want this to ever end. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. She felt his tongue brush against her lips. Lucas penetrated her mouth with his tongue as she parted her lips allowing him entrance into her mouth. She tasted the same, and he loved it. The kiss started gentle and sweet as they reunited, but it soon became more passionate as they both fought for the upper hand, their tongues tangled and exploring each other's mouths.

Lucas' hands had made their way to rest on her hips, and he pulled her closer in to him. Brooke immediately felt the bulge in his pants, causing her to gasp. Her inner core was heated with want. She pushed his shirt off his shoulders that she had unbuttoned earlier letting it drop to the floor. They both reluctantly pulled their lips apart as they gasped for air. Brooke gently pushed Lucas down onto the bed. He smiled at her as she kinked her eyebrow, something he loved to see her do. He scooted further up onto the bed, and Brooke followed as she straddled him, causing her dress to slide up exposing her toned thighs to him. Lucas rested his hands on her thighs as they began to kiss again. He ran his hands up and down, each time inching closer and closer to her most intimate area.

Brooke ran her fingers along Lucas' chest, amazed that he had remained in such good shape. He moved his kisses to her neck. He focused his attention on a spot right below her ear that he knew she loved, causing her to moan with pleasure. Lucas moved his hands to the hem of her dress and slowly eased it up as if he were making sure it was okay with her. She reached her hands up over her head to help him take it off. The dress was quickly discarded to join his shirt on the floor, leaving Brooke in her matching black bra and panties. Lucas planted numerous kisses along her collar bone, carefully moving down to her breasts. Brooke reached a hand behind her back and unhooked her bra, allowing it to easily slip off her shoulders. She quickly discarded it to the floor with the other clothing, giving Lucas more access to her chest.

"You're so beautiful, Brooke," said Lucas as he took in the sight before him.

Brooke found herself blushing at the comment, even though he had seen her like this before in the past.

Lucas kissed his way to one of her nipples as he focused his attention there. Brooke ran her hands through his hair, pressing him into her as he sucked on her nipple and gently bit it teasingly. He moved to her other breast, giving it just as much attention. Brooke didn't know how much of this foreplay she could take. She wanted him now, and she could feel the wetness in her panties. Brooke let out another moan of pleasure, and Lucas smirked as he brought his lips back to hers.

"I need you, Lucas," murmured Brooke in between kisses.

Brooke absentmindedly began rocking her hips back and forth, and she felt Lucas' member grow even harder if it were possible. Lucas groaned at the feeling she was causing, and his pants suddenly felt a few sizes too small. Luckily, she had sensed that he needed to be released.

"I want you so bad, pretty girl," Lucas moaned into her ear. Brooke reached for his pants and unzipped them. She slipped her hand underneath his boxers to feel his hardness. His eyes rolled to the back of his head at her touch. He loved the feeling and the effect she had on him. He couldn't take it anymore, and he soon flipped them over.

He moved so that he was on top, allowing her to easily slip off his pants. Lucas kicked them off to the floor, leaving their underwear as the only remaining barrier between them. Lucas ran a hand along her leg up to the area he desired the most. He quickly rid her of the black panties she wore and entered her with two fingers.

"Lucas…" Brooke loved the feeling he was creating inside of her. She needed him now. Lucas felt how wet she was and knew that she was ready for him. Suddenly he felt her hand grab his wrist, causing him to remove his fingers from her. He looked at her confusedly and apologetically worried that he had done something wrong or hurt her. Brooke noticed the pained expression on his face and immediately quieted his concerns with a kiss.

"Don't tease me tonight, Luke. I need you inside of me," said Brooke.

Lucas smiled at the request. He immediately slipped off his boxers, and Brooke glanced down at how big he was. He was a lot bigger than she remember, and she knew it was going to be tight once he entered her considering she hadn't had sex in a while.

He positioned himself above her opening, and he swallowed with nervousness. He wanted everything to be perfect for her. He knew she had probably been with other guys since him, and he wanted to satisfy her. Brooke smiled at him, and he immediately stopped worrying because he knew she loved him. Brooke felt butterflies in her stomach as she felt the tip of him against her folds. He kissed her reassuringly, and Brooke nodded to let him know that she was ready for him.

Lucas eased into her, loving how tight she felt around him. Brooke took a moment to get used to him, but wrapped her legs around his hips once she was comfortable. Lucas began to move in and out of her enjoying the sound of his name escaping her lips. Brooke arched her back and pushed her hips upward allowing him more access. She used her hips to match his movements as they began to move in sync.

Lucas was overwhelmed with sensation at the feeling of Brooke's nipples rubbing against his chest as he began to thrust into her deeply. Brooke's head rolled back in sheer delight as Lucas hit a spot in her she didn't even know about. He brought his lips down to hers in an intimate kiss, and Brooke pulled him tighter towards her feeling the depth of his cock in her pussy like never before. Brooke could sense his orgasm approaching, and she knew she wouldn't last much longer either.

"Brooke…baby…I'm about to…" gasped Lucas as he continued thrusting into her.

Lucas' release finally hit him as he exploded his juices deep inside of her. Brooke couldn't hold it any longer, as she felt herself tighten and contract around his shaft. They shared the rush of ecstasy as they both climaxed.

"Oh…God…Lucas…" Brooke muttered inattentively as she rode out the waves and vibrations tingling throughout her body.

He planted a soft kiss on Brooke's lips before nuzzling into her neck. She suddenly felt empty and incomplete as Lucas pulled out of her. He rolled off of her onto his back, and looked over at her as he caught his breath. Brooke was breathing deeply, her chest rising and falling with each breath.

Brooke cuddled into Lucas, and he wrapped his arms around her keeping her close to him, both of their bodies still radiating with heat. He pulled the sheets up over them and nuzzled into her neck, kissing her gently.

"I love you so much, Brooke," Lucas whispered into her ear.

Brooke smiled at the comment. She wanted to stay in this position forever. She didn't know what would happen in the morning, but she knew that this was real. Part of her was afraid of the next morning, because they both had to be drunk for this to happen. She didn't want to think about tomorrow. All she wanted was to fall asleep in his arms and be in the moment.

"I love you too, Lucas Scott," returned Brooke.

They both relaxed against one another and closed their eyes, soon falling into a comfortable sleep.

**A/N: So, what did you think? Should I just end it and leave this as a one shot? Or should I continue this into a full on story? Let me know what you think! I know I should be updating The Good Life, but this just came to me, I haven't had a lot of inspiration for The Good Life lately. But anyways, review please or message me!**


	2. The Morning After

**Okay, so as you can see, I've decided to continue this story. There's been a few amazing stories about AU Brucas Season 5 or 6, and I got inspired to do my own. This is definitely a bit different from those typical fanfics, because it takes place 2 years after graduation and not four. I'm thinking about doing a time jump, but I'm not sure yet. I hope you like this chapter! Review and let me know what you think! :) Also, for those who read The Good Life, I've been having writers block, plus I'm trying to work on the YT series for it, but I promise I will continue it!**

**Also, I'd like to give a couple shout outs to those who reviewed the first chapter of Never Let You Go:**

**Katexonetreehill: **Thanks for the suggestions! I'll definitely keep that in mind, and thanks for reading :)

**Nikki593: **Yes, there will definitely be some drama coming later in the story. Everyone will be reuniting in Tree Hill very soon, so stay tuned! Thanks for reviewing.

**bjq: **Thanks for reading and inspiring me to continue this! Reviews like yours help keep me going :)

**aimee: **Thanks for inspiring me too continue this as well. Means a lot that people actually read my stories!

**wrestlingfan29: **Thanks for reading! I've never thought of myself as that great a writer, so thanks! It was tough to decide whether to continue this because I liked it as a one shot, but I figured I have nothing to lose. Plus, I didn't want to deny anyone some brucas love haha :)

**BabyBlueBeauty: **Thanks for the encouragement, and we can never get enough of those adorable brucas scenes!

**dianehermans: **We all need our hot brucas love haha :) Thanks for reading and keeping up with my stories! You're definitely my biggest follower!

**The Morning After**

Lucas nuzzled closer into Brooke in his sleep. Her eyes fluttered open at the movement. She had her back to him with her legs curled, and Lucas was snuggled up against her with his arm draped over her. For a moment, Brooke had forgotten everything that happened the previous night. She turned softly to look at the man in her bed, and everything came flooding back. It wasn't a dream. This had actually happened.

_Holy shit…this actually happened… thought Brooke, I fucked my best friend's boyfriend…well ex-boyfriend…just hours after they broke up._

Brooke wanted to stay in his arms for the rest of the day, but this couldn't happen. Last night, everything that had happened between them felt so real and honest. She was happy and content, but a huge part of her felt guilty. She tried to make herself believe that they had both been drunk. Lucas had to have been drunk from all the champagne they had. Otherwise he wouldn't have said all those things to her just hours after he had proposed to her best friend…or almost proposed, and Brooke wouldn't have admitted everything she had to him. Brooke kissed Lucas' forehead before sitting up in bed. She lifted the covers, careful to not disturb his peaceful slumber, and got out of bed.

Lucas opened his eyes at the feel of Brooke's lips. Her attempts to not wake him obviously failed. He smiled to himself as he watched Brooke's naked form walk to her closet. She threw on a robe and headed towards the bathroom door.

"Hey pretty girl," Lucas greeted her as he sat up in bed.

Brooke stopped in her tracks in front of the bathroom door. She remained with her back to him looking towards the floor. She hoped that she would have time to think and process everything before having to face him. Now they would have to deal with the consequences of their drunken hookup, or at least what she hoped was just a drunken hookup.

"Hi," she said softly.

"What's wrong?" asked Lucas noticing how tense she was. He threw off the covers and grabbed his boxers off the floor to slip them on. He moved to sit on the edge of the bed, urging her to face him.

"Nothing," she lied, "I'm just gonna take a shower." Brooke turned her head to the side, peering at him from the corner of her eye. "You can leave whenever," she stated unenthusiastically.

Lucas winced in confusion at her words. "What?" That was all he could manage to get out. Brooke finally turned around to face him.

"Look, I know what last night was," insisted Brooke, "We had been drinking and…it was a mistake. You don't have to say anything." Brooke shrugged after finishing. It seemed as if she were trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince Lucas.

He shook his head in disagreement at her words. "Brooke, last night was not a mistake," argued Lucas as he walked over to her. Lucas couldn't believe that she thought what they shared was just a one night stand. She would never be that to him. It wasn't some drunken mistake that he regretted. "It wasn't just some random one night stand that I'm going to forget about and move on from. I want to be with you," he continued.

Brooke could feel her heart beating faster than normal as he spoke. She locked eyes with him, and she could see the hope in them. "Lucas, you and Peyton broke up yesterday," replied Brooke trying to go about this rationally. She needed to think with her head and not her heart right now. "We can't just be together all of a sudden," she went on, "It's not that simple."

_It could be that simple…thought Brooke after she spoke. Screw Peyton and her damn feelings. What about my feelings and my heart? I could be with Lucas right now, and we could be happy, right? No, I won't do that…because I won't do the same thing she did to me. Even though they are broken up, I can't be this person._

Lucas could feel her slipping away with every word, and he didn't want that to happen. This couldn't be what she wanted. He saw the love in her eyes last night, and even now.

"You want this just as much as I do," Lucas returned, "I can see it in your eyes right now."

Brooke looked down avoiding his gaze. He always had the ability to see right through her.

"Peyton's my best friend. I love her, and even if you don't want to admit it right now, so do you," Brooke acknowledged, "I can't do this to her."

"You can't or you won't?" questioned Lucas. He would never be able to understand Brooke and Peyton, their friendship. It was so surreal to him how Peyton could hurt Brooke so much and be easily forgiven. Then again, part of that was his fault. Brooke would always put everyone else's feelings above her own. He loved how selfless she was, but sometimes he wished she was just a little more selfish. This was one of those times.

"Both I guess," answered Brooke. Lucas swallowed at her answer. He knew he couldn't change her mind right now, because her stubbornness was getting the better of her. He looked down at her hand as she slipped the ring off that he had given her last night. Seeing her take it off made his heart melt, because he wished that they really were engaged. He had pretended that they were the entire previous night.

Brooke stared at the ring she held between her fingers. She wished that Lucas really had proposed to her last night, because the evening they spent together felt too real to give up. She couldn't let herself give in to him though. Brooke grabbed Lucas' hand and placed the ring into his palm. He closed his fingers, and Brooke dropped her hand away from him.

"Brooke, I love you…" began Lucas.

"Luke…" said Brooke trying to stop him. She knew he was about to give her another one of his amazing speeches that always touched her heart and soul.

"Let me finish, please," he said sternly. Brooke nodded to let him continue. "I love you, and I know you love me too. You don't have to say it right now, but I'm gonna fight for you. I know I've promised you this before, but this time is gonna be different. I'll never let you go again."

"I can't be anything more than friends with you right now," sighed Brooke. Truth is that was all her heart could handle. Lucas nodded at her reply.

"Okay, we'll be friends then," he accepted. Brooke half smiled at him, knowing that friendship could never be enough for either of them, but it would have to do for now. "I am still the guy for you Brooke Davis, and one of these days you're gonna realize how much I love you."

Lucas wanted to wrap his arms around her, but he knew that would be too much for that moment. He would take it slow, and he would prove to her that they could work.

Brooke grabbed her dress and undergarments from the previous night off the floor and tossed them onto her bed. Lucas slipped on his jeans and threw his shirt back on. He looked over at Brooke as he buttoned it up. She was leaning against the bathroom doorframe watching him.

"How long are you staying in New York?" she asked him.

"Just a couple of days," answered Lucas watching her reaction. He noticed that she seemed disappointed. "It could be longer depending on how things go with the book."

Brooke nodded in response. "I should go take a shower and…get ready for work," muttered Brooke.

"Right, of course," returned Lucas. He looked over at the digital clock next to the bed. It was almost eleven in the morning. "I have to get going. I have a meeting with Lindsey," said Lucas.

"Okay," she returned with a melancholy tone.

Lucas headed to the bedroom door to leave.

"Can I call you? Maybe we can do something tonight?" suggested Lucas stopping in the doorway.

She knew he was being sincere and trying to uphold their friendship agreement, but she felt like it would be too soon after everything. This was all just happening too fast for her.

"I can't tonight," answered Brooke. She immediately saw the disappointment in his face, and it killed her. "But call me. Maybe we can grab lunch tomorrow or something?" proposed Brooke.

His eyes lit up, surprised that she had even made the offer. They each muttered a quick goodbye before Lucas left. Brooke stared at the empty doorway where he had stood, wondering what could become of this.

For now, she had to go to work and deal with Victoria. Luckily, she had her good friend Rachel there to help her make it through the day.

* * *

Brooke stood in the elevator waiting to get to her office floor. Victoria was going to kill her for being late. Brooke checked the time again, it was 12:08. Finally, she reached her floor and the elevator doors opened. Brooke stopped at the receptionist desk on the way to her office. She grabbed her mail and went to her office.

"Brooke, where the hell have you been?" questioned Victoria Davis. Brooke looked up to see her mother sitting on her desk with her arms crossed. "We have a meeting with the Macy's executive at noon, and it is 12:10 right now. Not to mention, you need to check on the models that are being fitted for the runaway rehearsal!" exclaimed Victoria in anger.

"Okay, sorry, I overslept," sighed Brooke annoyed.

"Overslept?" repeated Victoria incredulously. Brooke just nodded. "There are photos in every magazine and on every website of you and _that boy _all over midtown together! Please tell me you were drunk, because I swear if you marry this boy then I'll…"

"Relax, Mom!" Brooke cut in, "It was just a joke."

"Oh…good," returned Victoria softly, "You have far too much to lose, especially now with the magazine and the couture line."

Brooke rolled her eyes as she looked away from Victoria. She did not need to be lectured about her decisions by a woman who wasn't even there for most of her life, especially when it came to her relationship with Lucas. "Mom, can we just go to the meeting now?" suggested Brooke.

"Of course," replied Victoria grabbing folders off of Brooke's desk, "We're already late, and call me Victoria. I told you I hate that whole mom thing."

Brooke followed Victoria out of her office into the conference room. The meeting seemed to last hours, although it was only about forty five minutes. It was successful despite the fact that Brooke was distracted. She couldn't seem to focus on anything. All she could think about was Lucas. She shouldn't be thinking about him though, she needed to get back to work.

Brooke sat at her desk and grabbed her sketch pad. She knew there was something else she was supposed to be doing, but sketching seemed like the best way to clear her head. She had all of these ideas floating around in her head, and she needed to get them down on paper. She was so caught up in her work that she didn't even notice when Rachel had come in.

"Hey slut," beamed Rachel as she plopped down on the couch in Brooke's office.

"Hey," returned Brooke without looking up. Brooke set her sketch pad down and looked over at the phone on her desk. She had four calls on the line, and apparently her assistant, Millicent, wasn't taking care of it. Brooke sighed as she ran her fingers through her newly short cut, brown hair, not wanting to deal with whoever was on the end of those lines.

"You look stressed," noted Rachel taking in Brooke's features. She wished there was more she could do to help Brooke with the company, but she was just a model.

"You could definitely say that," agreed Brooke relaxing in her chair and finally bringing her eyes up to look at her friend.

"We missed you at the fitting and the rehearsal," said Rachel. Brooke mentally cursed herself for forgetting to check on the models. "Bitchtoria was pretty pissed," added Rachel.

"Shit, I completely lost track of time," she groaned in response.

"What's going on with you today?" asked the red head worriedly, "You're usually so on top of things like this."

"I just have a lot on my mind right now, that's all," answered Brooke nonchalantly. Brooke knew she was caught once she saw Rachel's mouth curve into a smile. She was bound to mention it at some point. There were photos of her and Lucas in at least a dozen local magazines. Brooke had been too buzzed and too happy to care about the paparazzi that were following them around midtown.

"Meaning Lucas…" smirked Rachel, "I heard about your night on the town."

"It was nothing," added Brooke before Rachel could imply that it was anything more than that, "Just two old friends hanging out. He's getting his novel published."

Brooke couldn't help but smile as she said this last part. She was proud of Lucas, and she knew he was going to change the world, just like he said she would.

Rachel eyed her friend curiously. "You fucked him, didn't you?"

Brooke's mouth dropped open at the remark. She didn't know how to respond. Rachel knew her too well. Luckily, Brooke didn't have to say anything as Rachel continued. "I guess that would be pretty ridiculous, though, considering he's with Peyton."

"Actually, they broke up," Brooke found herself throwing in.

Rachel's eyes lit up at the comment, and she smiled knowingly at the brunette. "So, you did sleep with him," beamed Rachel.

"I never said that," Brooke quickly replied.

"You haven't denied it either," acknowledged Rachel. Brooke sighed deeply as she glanced away from her friend. "Oh my God, you did!" exclaimed Rachel jumping up from her seat, "I want details, tell me everything!"

"We are so not talking about this right now," said Brooke fumbling with random papers on her desk.

"Fine, I'm coming over for dinner tonight, and you can tell me all about it," smiled Rachel, "I'm not taking no for an answer, so don't even try to un-invite me."

"Rach, I kind of want to be alone tonight," returned Brooke trying to avoid explaining what happened between her and Lucas.

"As if I'm going to let you spend a perfectly good Saturday night alone," said Rachel, "I'll see you tonight, bitch!"

Brooke watched as Rachel skipped out of her office. Rachel was not going to let this go. And the worst part was…Brooke didn't think she would be able to let it go either.

* * *

Lucas typed vigorously on his laptop editing his novel. His meeting with Lindsey had gone surprisingly well, although she wanted him to make so many changes, which he didn't completely agree with. He couldn't stop thinking about Brooke. Last night was so surreal and unexpected, but he didn't think it would end so quickly. His feelings for Brooke came back in an instant, and he realized that he had never truly gotten over her. He never would. She wanted to be friends. He would respect that, but he didn't understand it. Then again, their relationship was never that easy for anyone to understand, even them.

He was shaken from his thoughts when his cell phone rang. His heart skipped a beat, hoping it might be Brooke, but it was just Haley.

"Hey, Hales," said Lucas bringing the phone to his ear.

"_Hey, Luke how's L.A?" wondered Haley._

"I'm actually not in Los Angeles anymore," corrected Lucas. He began absentmindedly surfing the internet as he talked to his best friend.

"_Okay…" muttered Haley confusedly, "Well, where are you?"_

"New York, my novel is being published," smiled Lucas as he thought about the moment he first heard the news himself.

"_Oh my God, Lucas, that's amazing!" beamed Haley, "I'm so happy for you! How's Peyton? She must be thrilled."_

The smile fell from his face as she said Peyton's name. He didn't know what he was feeling, because ever since he got to New York, he'd only had Brooke on his mind. Now he had to tell Haley, and he wasn't sure what to expect. "We…uh…we broke up," he managed to say.

"_What?" asked a shocked Haley, "What happened?"_

"I went to L.A, asked her to marry me, and she said no," sighed Lucas.

"_So, you completely ambushed her," said Haley a little too harshly than she intended to._

"Haley, I really don't need you to lecture me about this right now," interrupted Lucas before she could continue.

"_I'm sorry," she returned sincerely, "How are you doing?"_

"I was confused, but now I think it's for the best," he replied honestly. Lucas' eyes focused on a photo he had come across on some gossip website. It was of him and Brooke holding hands as they walked along the streets of midtown. "Peyton and I were drifting apart, and it took me one night to realize that we aren't meant to be together," he went on to Haley.

"_You two could work it out," tried Haley supportively._

"Not this time," returned Lucas. He then changed the subject, not wanting to talk about Peyton. "How's my nephew doing?"

"_Jamie is doing well," answered Haley knowing not to push the subject of Peyton, "He's getting bigger every day. He misses his Uncle Lucas, though. Nathan and I kind of miss you too."_

"Funny, I miss you guys too," he said, "I just met with my editor, and she said I'll probably be here for about a week and a half. That way we can get most of the work done in person."

"_That's good, hey, are you gonna visit Brooke while you're there?" asked Haley curiously._

"We actually went out last night," smiled Lucas, "She was the first person I called when I found out about my book. We went all over the city."

"_Oh that sounds fun," noted a surprised Haley, "How is she?"_

"She's great," answered Lucas staring at the picture on his computer screen, "She's changing the world just like I knew she would."

_Haley couldn't help but notice the change in him as he talked about Brooke. He sounded hopeful and excited and…maybe in love. "Well, tell her I miss her when you see her again," said Haley._

"Okay…" he replied unsurely. He wasn't so sure if he would get another chance to see Brooke again after what had happened. Sure, she said they could be friends, but he could tell that she was scared.

"_I have to go, Jamie's crying again, but I'll talk to you later, Luke," rambled Haley._

"Bye," Lucas quickly put in before Haley hung up.

Lucas scrolled through his address book in cell phone. He stopped once he reached Brooke. He couldn't call her tonight; she already said she was busy. Lucas sighed as he set his phone down. He looked back at the photo up on his computer screen. He needed to see her again. He wasn't going to let her slip out of his life like before. Not again.

**A/N: You know the drill! Love it? Hate it? Suggestions? Needs to be longer? Let me know what you think! Review or message me and thanks again for reading :)**


	3. Just Friends

**Okay, I know this has taken forever, but I've been super busy lately as usual. I didn't get that many reviews for the second chapter, which was a bit discouraging. I won't let that keep me down though, because I love BRUCAS and I love providing all BL fans with the storylines we deserve. Lucas is still in New York for this chapter. This and the next two chapters is mostly about Lucas' time in NY, but a return to Tree Hill is coming I promise! Plus, we can't forget about Peyton and even Naley! Anyways, please review and let me know what you think or give me any suggestions you may have. Thanks for reading!**

**Shout Outs to My Reviewers:**

**dianehermans: **Thanks for staying tuned with the story! Brooke definitely needs to follow her heart, and Lucas needs to fight for her, which we will most definitely see throughout.

**ciaranoelle: **Thanks for the encouragment! There's a lot that didn't happen in the show that all of us BRUCAS lovers NEED to see!

**Tess mtiv: **Thank you so much! Yes, one of the things I loved about the show was Brooke's friendship with Rachel, and I hate what Mark Schwan did to her character, so I had to change that!

**Surfergurl25: **Hey, I loved your suggestion, definitely gave me some inspiration for something later on with them ;) Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**Just Friends**

It was Tuesday. It had been two days since Brooke had seen Lucas, since they slept together, and since they had agreed to be friends. He had called her both Sunday and Monday afternoon, but she didn't answer. To say she was avoiding him was an understatement. She refused to go out other than to work, in fear of running into him somewhere. Rachel had refused to let her spend a quiet night alone, so she had practically been living at Brooke's house.

"Hey bitch," beamed Rachel as she joined Brooke in the kitchen.

"Hey," returned Brooke. She poured them each a cup of coffee, and they sat down at the counter.

"Okay, something is seriously wrong with you," laughed Rachel, "You haven't called me a bitch, slut, or whore in days." Brooke just shrugged as she sipped her coffee. Rachel looked at her friend sympathetically. She had been trying to cheer Brooke up for the past two days. She knew Brooke was thinking about Lucas, and Rachel just wanted her to be happy. "Do you have any plans tonight?"

"Um…no, not really," answered Brooke flipping through a magazine.

"Well you do now," smiled the red head, "We're going to Lucky 7even, that new night club in the city."

"Rach..." Brooke sighed as she glanced up at her friend, "I just want to be alone tonight and stay in."

"Ugh! You've been saying that for the past two nights," groaned Rachel as she grabbed the magazine away from Brooke to get her attention.

"Yeah, and you've been ignoring that for the past two nights," refuted Brooke.

"Only because I want you to stop brooding over Lucas!" exclaimed Rachel in defense. She laughed slightly at the irony of her statement, considering Lucas was always the one brooding.

"I am not brooding! Okay, I don't brood," shot back Brooke, "I am perfectly cheery, and I am absolutely not thinking about Lucas."

"Fine," smirked Rachel raising an eyebrow. Brooke looked at her friend curiously, knowing that more was coming. "Then call him, and ask if he wants to come over for lunch like you promised him you would."  
"I did not promise him anything," said Brooke in response, "I said that maybe we could grab lunch, and that was like two days ago."

"Exactly my point!" smiled Rachel in exclamation, "You're avoiding him."

"I thought your point was to get me to go out with you tonight," laughed Brooke as she finally grabbed her magazine back from Rachel.

"Right, so you're coming with me tonight," agreed Rachel realizing how off topic she had gotten, "I promise it'll be fun." But was she really that off topic? Lucas was the reason Brooke didn't want to go out. Rachel had to fix that.

"Okay fine, I'll go," Brooke gave in.

* * *

Lucas was standing on the balcony of his hotel room staring out at the city. He'd never seen anything quite so busy. It was nothing like Tree Hill, and he was already missing home. He had come to New York to publish his novel, but he was staying in New York because somehow he had fallen in love with Brooke Davis all over again. It was surreal to him how that could happen in just a span of one night, but it did happen. He hadn't seen or spoken to her in two days and it was killing him. Then, out of the blue, he received a text message from her.

_**Meet for coffee? Starbucks on the corner by my place :)**_

Lucas smiled to himself as he read the text.

_**I'll be there in ten**_

Ten minutes later, Lucas was sitting at an outside table at Starbucks. He found himself becoming nervous as he waited for Brooke. They said they would be friends, but he couldn't help to wish that this was a date. He wondered if she was going to tell him that she didn't want to be just friends. Maybe that's why she had been avoiding him the past two days, because she was processing her feelings for him.

"Hey Luke."

Lucas was shaken out of his thoughts when someone took the seat across from him, but to his disappointment, it wasn't Brooke. It was the last person he had expected to see.

"Rachel…what are you doing here?" asked Lucas as he stared at the red head in confusion.

"I texted you from Brooke's phone," beamed Rachel. Lucas furrowed his eyebrows wondering what exactly was going on. Clearly, Brooke didn't know that Rachel was there with him, and Rachel didn't want her to know. "Well, don't look so excited to see me," joked Rachel.

"Sorry, it's good to see you," muttered Lucas in response. Seeing Rachel brought back a lot of memories from high school, particularly bad memories. It then came to him that Rachel was always the one causing problems, and this was probably just another one of her schemes. "Actually, it's not good to see you," corrected Lucas, "I haven't seen you since senior year when you ruined Nathan and Haley's wedding, left Mouth stranded in Honeygrove…"

"Okay, I get it," she interrupted him holding her hand up. She really didn't need to be reminded of her past, especially by someone who didn't have the best track record either. "I've made mistakes, but I'm not that person anymore. You of all people should know about that."

"What do you want Rachel?" sighed Lucas.

"It's more about what you want," continued Rachel finally getting to her point, "I'm here to talk about Brooke. I'm going to help you."

"Why would you do that?" asked Lucas.

"Because Brooke's my friend, and I want her to be happy," answered Rachel sincerely, "And when she told me that you confessed your love for her, I wasn't all that surprised."

"You weren't?" asked Lucas in surprise.

Rachel smiled in disbelief. "Come on Lucas, we both know that Peyton was your safety net. Frankly, I'm surprised you two lasted as long as you did." Lucas looked away from her as he thought. He found it hard to believe that Rachel was on his side, considering how often she tried to sabotage his relationship with Brooke back in high school. "Do you remember that fantasy boy draft date thing we went on during senior year?" asked Rachel. Lucas nodded at the memory. "You made the shot," continued Rachel, "The heart has reason that reason cannot know." He smiled surprised that she remembered the quote. "That's why I'm helping you," finished Rachel.

"I never understood how Brooke could be friends with you, but it makes sense now," replied Lucas.

She furrowed her eyebrows trying to figure out if he was insulting her or complimenting her. She guessed that he was trying to say that she was a good friend. "Thanks…I think," she said.

"Has she said anything about us or why she doesn't want to see me?" questioned Lucas getting back to the subject of Brooke.

Rachel shrugged without an answer. "You know how she is," the red head muttered.

Lucas nodded in reply. He knew exactly what she meant; Brooke wouldn't talk about her feelings. She kept them bottled up to herself. "The question is, are you gonna fight for her this time? Or are you gonna give up, let her go, and then crawl back to Peyton?"

"I'm trying," sighed Lucas, "She won't answer her phone or return any of my calls."

"So get off your ass!" exclaimed Rachel, "She wants to know that you're not going to give up on her this time."

Lucas understood exactly what she meant. Brooke was always about action, not just talk. He couldn't help but think about their fight at Nathan and Haley's wedding reception more than two years ago. She had said that exact same thing.

_Flashback_

_Lucas stared at Brooke hopelessly as she rummaged through all the bridesmaids' purses to find her own. He hated that she was angry with him. He knew it was his fault for not telling her about the kiss with Peyton in the library, and for that he was angry with himself. Part of him felt like she was using this to her advantage though, so he was trying to put some of the blame on her._

"_Part of me feels like ever since we got back together, you've just been waiting…waiting to push me away," shot Lucas in anger._

"_Oh great," returned Brooke in disbelief, "You kiss Peyton…again! And I'm pushing you away!"_

_Brooke couldn't believe that he was trying to put this on her. "God, why did I make everybody identical purses as wedding gifts!" shouted Brooke slamming a purse down on the table in frustration._

_Lucas walked over to Brooke. He was in love with this girl, and their fighting was killing him. He needed her to forgive him. He needed her to know how much he loved her. He just needed her._

"_I love you, Brooke," said Lucas, "I don't know how else to say it."_

_Brooke took a breath fighting back tears. He just didn't get it. He could tell her he loved her a thousand times, and it wouldn't make a difference. She wanted him to prove to her and show her how much he loved her._

"_How about how you show it?" returned Brooke softly. Lucas continued to stare into her beautiful brown eyes. He felt like she was slipping away from him, because he knew she was right. "I am not pushing you away, Lucas, I am holding on for dear life, but I need you to need me back," she cried desperately, "Okay, why wouldn't you tell me about the kiss? And why didn't you call me while you were away? And why won't you ever just let me all the way in?"_

_Lucas didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to make this better. He should have told her about the kiss, and she should have called her while he was away. Truth be told, he was afraid to let her in. He was afraid she would see him differently…like he was weak and maybe not good enough for her. That's why he shut her out when he was dealing with his heart condition and Keith passing away. Before he could even attempt to get anything out, she spoke again._

"_We have to go and give our toasts now," Brooke managed to say, "It's about love."_

"_Please don't be mad, Brooke," he pleaded with her._

_Brooke turned to look back at him on her way out. He still didn't get it. She wasn't mad or angry with him. She was disappointed in him. She was crushed. This boy that she loves just doesn't understand her._

"_I'm not mad, Lucas," she said truthfully, "I'm not mad."_

_End Flashback_

Lucas had made the mistake of not showing Brooke how much she meant to him. He wasn't about to make that mistake again. He was going to do that through his actions.

"Can you get her to go out tonight?" asked Lucas, "Maybe I'll happen to run into the two of you."

Rachel raised her eyebrows and smiled. She was shocked that Lucas would come up with such a devious plan. "That's what I like to hear. We're going to Lucky 7even around ten. I'll text you the address."

Lucas agreed, and Rachel grabbed her purse standing up to leave. "Hey Rachel…thanks," said Lucas with a half smile. Rachel smiled sincerely. "You're welcome, and Luke, I'm really sorry for everything…in the past," said Rachel. Lucas nodded, accepting her apology. "Okay, then, see you tonight lover boy," smirked Rachel leaving.

* * *

Brooke looked at Rachel like she was crazy as they sat at the counter in Lucky 7even nightclub. The red head had a huge dumb smile plastered on her face as she glanced around the crowd of people like she was searching for someone. Brooke felt like she was up to something. Who was she kidding? Of course she was up to something; it was Rachel Gatina after all.

"So, I thought you said this would be fun," sighed Brooke, "Listening to Victoria rant about the new line would be more fun than this."

"Where the fuck is he…it's like eleven already," muttered Rachel to herself.

"What are you talking about? Who?" questioned Brooke, "And why are you looking around the club like you're expecting someone to…" Rachel ignored Brooke's questions, but Brooke suddenly came to a conclusion. "Oh my God…please tell me you didn't put me on some dating website, and tell someone I'd meet them here."

"Please, that is so senior year," returned Rachel with a laugh, "Remember Nick?"

"Don't remind me," said Brooke, "Seriously, Rach, we've been sitting here for over an hour drinking margaritas and whatever the hell is in this glass. This isn't fun, and I'm ready to go."

Brooke stood up to leave, but Rachel grabbed her arm to pull her back down into her seat. "Wait, I promised you a fun night out, and we're gonna have a fun night."

"Well, when exactly does the fun start?" asked Brooke, "You know, this reminds me of my eighteenth birthday, which should really tell you how much I'm enjoying myself."

Rachel let out a huge sigh of relief as she saw Lucas making his way towards them in the sea of people.

"If that's the case, then here comes your birthday present," smirked Rachel.

Brooke turned around to see where Rachel was looking. She immediately locked eyes with Lucas. She swallowed nervously as she watched him. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a grey button up shirt. Needless to say, he looked hot. Brooke turned her gaze away from him back to Rachel.

"What the hell, Rachel, you invited him here? What were you thinking?" questioned Brooke leaning forward.

"I was thinking that you've been ignoring the guy for two days," answered Rachel, "There is clearly something going on between you two. Whether you really are just friends or not, you need to deal with it."

Before Brooke could refute, Lucas was standing beside them at the bar. He half smiled at Rachel, and his breath suddenly caught in his throat when he looked at Brooke. She was wearing a dark blue spaghetti strap dress with black heels. Her makeup was done perfectly, and her hair fell perfectly just above her shoulders. She literally took his breath away.

"I'm gonna go talk to that hot guy way over there, but you kids have fun," smiled Rachel quickly grabbing her drink and leaving.

Lucas took Rachel's seat at the bar next to Brooke, both never taking their eyes off of each other. Brooke looked away from him as the bartender took her empty glass and brought her a different drink. She cleared her throat before taking a sip of her concoction, hoping Lucas would say something.

"Sorry if this seems like a set up," Lucas spoke up, "I just haven't heard from you since…"

"I know, I've been busy," Brooke quickly cut him off before he could bring up what happened between them. Of course, it was a set up, she wasn't completely dense. "And it doesn't seem like a set up, it is a set up," she corrected him.

"Yeah, you're right," laughed Lucas in agreement.

"We shouldn't have to play games," sighed Brooke, "If you want to hang out, you should just…"

"Call you?" suggested Lucas in disbelief. What did she want him to do? He had been calling her. "I have been, and you've been ignoring me. I left you messages and texted you."

Brooke suddenly realized how hypocritical she was being. "I'm sorry," she apologized, "I wanted to call you back, I just…" Just what? Why didn't she call him back? She was scared that's why. This was all just too much for her. "God, Luke, you have no idea how hard this is for me," she admitted.

Lucas knew that this wasn't the place for this conversation, and he knew that she wasn't ready for this conversation. She supposedly wanted to be friends, so he had to respect that. He would show her that he could give her exactly what she asked for.

"Then let's not make it hard," returned Lucas, "Let's just have some fun tonight. We're friends, right?"

"Yeah…we're friends," reassured Brooke. Lucas smiled as they both locked eyes again. He had to stop that, or else he wouldn't be able to contain himself. "Are you gonna order something or just sit here and watch me drink?" wondered Brooke. Lucas laughed as he called the bartender over. He ordered a beer, but not before the bartender asked for his ID, in which case Lucas pulled out a fake ID, the same one he'd had since his first date with Brooke back in junior year.

"I can't believe you still have that," smiled Brooke in surprise.

"We are still underage," Lucas smiled in return, "Plus it always reminds me of our first date." Brooke smiled at the memory. "Do you still…"

Before Lucas could finish asking, Brooke pulled out her matching fake ID from her purse. They both laughed as they examined each other's IDs. They laughed about all of the crazy things they did together junior year, and before they knew it, they couldn't stop talking. Talking about the past was always bittersweet, but neither of them brought up the bad events.

"Having fun yet?" asked Lucas. He knew she was totally blindsided by him showing up, so he wanted to know that she was at least enjoying himself.

"Yeah, I am," she replied truthfully, "I'm glad Rachel dragged me out tonight, and I'm glad you're here too."

"Me too, I miss hanging out with you," said Lucas.

"So, do you wanna dance?" proposed Brooke glancing between Lucas and the crowd dancing.

"Umm…dancing isn't exactly my forte," returned Lucas. Brooke rolled her eyes with a laugh at his response.

"Come on!" said Brooke grabbing his arm and leading him out to the dance floor.

They both laughed as they began dancing together. Lucas complained about his dancing, but Brooke just ignored him. She encouraged him, and told him he was a better dancer than when they were in high school, causing them to reminisce on their high school years, like when they went to Rachel's cabin and danced together at the Sunkist event. Neither of them could stop smiling and laughing, and they were having a lot of fun together. Rachel was constantly sneaking peeks at the two from where she was dancing with a few different guys.

Neither had realized the change in the atmosphere after a couple of songs. Brooke and Lucas continued dancing together, but it had become more intimate. Brooke had her back to him, and Lucas placed his hands on her hips as they swayed to the music. Lucas didn't know if he could contain himself as Brooke bent forward and moved her butt against him. Brooke smirked to herself as she felt Lucas' growing bulge through his jeans. Without thinking about what he was doing, Lucas slowly moved his hand to Brooke's inner thigh. He felt her move uneasily, surprised by his action, but she soon leaned back into him. He leaned his head into her neck as they continued to move in sync, both tired and sweaty from dancing for so long. Brooke turned in his arms and wrapped her own arms around his neck. They both stared into each other's eyes filled with lust and desire.

Lucas knew that he could kiss her right then, and she would probably kiss him back. He hoped that she would kiss him back if he did kiss her. On the other hand, he didn't want her to think that she was just some object of his desire. It was way more than sex to him. He wanted all of her, not just her body but her heart, and he needed to prove that to her.

"I want to kiss you," he found himself murmuring into her ear as he leaned down.

"Then kiss me," returned Brooke. She was testing him, she knew that. It was the same thing she did senior year with their non exclusive dating, but this was different. She wanted to kiss him too, but her mind was telling her something else entirely.

"You know we'd end up doing a lot more than just kissing," he added.

"I know," returned Brooke kinking her eyebrow, something she knew he loved.

"You mean more to me than that," said Lucas doing his best to resist her.

"What if I want you to kiss me?" tried Brooke suggestively.

Lucas forced himself to look away from her, because Brooke Davis was the hardest person to resist. He knew from experience. Before he could try to refute again, Rachel had joined them, causing the pair to separate.

"Well, this night was a bust," complained Rachel pretending not to notice what was going on, "Not one guy invited me back to his place. There was that Chad guy, but his girlfriend showed up. Oh, and then there was the tall brunette with his perfect teeth and chiseled jaw, but he was too drunk to walk and slightly creepy. Anyways, you ready to go Brooke?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired," replied Brooke. Rachel headed towards the front entrance of the club to leave with Brooke following shortly behind her.

Lucas quickly ran after her, realizing she might get away from him without even making plans. He didn't want to endure days of silence again. "Brooke!" he shouted above the loud music. She and Rachel both stopped and turned around toward Lucas. "What are your plans for tomorrow?" asked Lucas. Rachel nudged Brooke, who just shrugged in response. "Well, let's do something then. Will you call me?"

"Count on it," smiled Brooke.

* * *

During the whole cab ride back to Brooke's place, Rachel couldn't stop teasing Brooke about Lucas.

"You two were so going to kiss," said Rachel.

"No, we weren't," denied Brooke holding back a smile.

"Yes, you were," Rachel shot back, "You would've been in his hotel room right now if I didn't step in. I mean, after the eye sex you two were having all night!"

"Eye sex?" questioned Brooke as she gave Rachel a dumbfounded expression at the comment.

"Yeah, you two were practically ripping each other's clothes off with your eyes He was probably picturing you riding him again, and you were probably imagining him fucking your brains out," answered the red head nonchalantly, "Hell, he probably had a hard on with that sexy dancing you two were doing."

"Rachel!" exclaimed Brooke to stop her from going on.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop," laughed Rachel, "Still mad at me for inviting him?"

Brooke just smiled to herself as she turned to look out the window for the rest of the ride.

**A/N: You know the drill! Love it? Hate it? Suggestions? Needs to be longer? Let me know what you think! Review or message me and thanks again for reading :)**

**Also, sorry for any grammar or spelling errors. Spellcheck only does so much and I don't have a beta. Plus, I really wanted to get the chapter posted.**


	4. It's A Date

**Here's the next chapter! I hope you all like it. Enjoy! And don't forget to review!**

**Review Shout Outs:**

**dianehermans: **Thanks, I thought that was pretty clever. I've used it before in my other story as well :)

**OTH-Brucas-love: **Thanks so much! I love playing around with their chemistry, because there is so much that can be done. Love the review!

**alysef: **Thank you very much, I really enjoyed writing that flashback scene. It's one of my favorites scenes from the show. I completely understand where you're coming from about Brooke being pregnant, because I feel like that's how every Brucas story I've read on here has been. I'm not sure if that'll happen in this story yet, but stay tuned. Brooke is pregnant in the show now though! So excited for her, although we all wish it could have been Lucas' baby :)

**xXalienatedXx: **Thanks for reading and reviewing! The Brachel friendship was one of my favorite aspects of the show, and yes I agree Rachel is a freaking bad ass haha. I'm starting a storyline for her in this chapter, which I think you'll like, but let me know :)

**Surfergurl25: **Thanks for continuing to read my story! I love your reviews :D

**KKMayfield: **Wow, thanks! I hope you keep reading! Brucas forever 3

**mileynina17: **Thanks! Hope you enjoy the update!

**It's a Date**

Lucas and Brooke had really been enjoying hanging out with each other for the past few days. They went out for coffee, they went out for lunch, they went to the movies, and they even stayed in and hung out at Brooke's place. Brooke had to keep reminding herself that they were just friends every time their hands accidentally touched reaching for popcorn or when she found herself leaning on his shoulder watching a movie or when they would just sit and talk to each other for hours all the while gazing into each other's eyes. She thought she could handle this, but it was becoming more and more difficult as they spent more time together. She wanted to keep spending time with Lucas, and she was avoiding the fact that he wasn't going to be in New York forever.

Brooke strolled into her living room and collapsed on the couch around five o'clock after a long day at Clothes Over Bro's. Her cell phone began ringing in her purse causing Brooke to groan expecting it to be Victoria. Brooke took out her phone and smiled when she saw the name on the screen. It was Lucas.

"Hi Luke," she said unable to hide the excitement in her voice.

"_Hey Brooke," he returned in the same cheerful tone, "How are you?"_

"I'm great," answered Brooke, "Just a little tired from work, but I'll live."

"_Well, are you too tired to have dinner with me tonight?" proposed Lucas._

"No, I'm actually free tonight," she said, "What did you have in mind?"

"_I was thinking Mario's Italiano around seven. How does that sound?"_

"That sounds perfect," smiled Brooke. She was really impressed with the restaurant he chose. It was one of the best in the city, expensive, and had a four and half star rating.

"_Okay, it's a date," said Lucas._ Brooke found herself smiling as she heard him say this. Was this a date? Did she want it to be a date? What was she thinking? They had to be just friends…that was what she wanted. _"I mean…not a date…just…you, me, and dinner…" Lucas stuttered at Brooke's silence._

"I'll um…see you soon," she returned quickly before hanging up.

* * *

Lucas sat at a table in Mario's Italiano anxiously awaiting Brooke's arrival. He nervously tapped his fingers against his water glass. He checked his watch for what seemed like the tenth time in the last minute. It was ten minutes past seven. Brooke was late. Either that or she wasn't going to show up. He suddenly regretted saying that this was a date on the phone earlier. He wanted this to be a date though. After their last few days of 'just friends' hanging out, he wanted to at least try and break down her wall a little bit. He wanted her to let him in. She didn't seem upset on the phone even after he had called their evening a date, so maybe she wanted this to be a date too.

His eyes widened in astonishment as he finally saw her approaching the table. Brooke wore an elegant red dress that reached just halfway above her knee. Her hair and makeup were perfectly done. This girl is fucking gorgeous were his thoughts exactly. She smiled shyly at him, fully aware that he was taking in every detail of her appearance. Lucas immediately stood up to pull out her chair for her. He wore black slacks and a button up white shirt with a narrow solid black tie. Brooke sat down and Lucas took his seat across from her.

"Brooke, you look…amazing," Lucas managed to finally say.

"Thank you," returned Brooke. Her cheeks immediately flushed pink. "Sorry I'm late."

"It's okay, you are definitely worth the wait," he replied.

The waiter arrived shortly to take their orders. Brooke ordered the chicken parmesan with a glass of sparkling water, while Lucas ordered a plate of spaghetti with a ginger ale.

"So, how's everything been going with editor girl, Lindsey?" asked Brooke.

"Okay, I guess," sighed Lucas. Brooke raised her eyebrow skeptically at his answer. Lucas laughed slightly knowing he could never get anything by her. "She doesn't like the ending, and I'm not happy with it either. She wants me to change it, but if I change it, then it won't be the way it happened. It's supposed to be real."

"Well, it's your story, and it's your life. You should tell the truth," advised Brooke.

"Yeah, I've been thinking, and…I want to write a sequel about everything that's happening after the fact."

"That sounds like a good idea, but you might want to get the first book published first buddy," laughed Brooke.

"I know," agreed Lucas with a smile, "There's just so much more that needs to be said. I don't want readers to think that the way the first book ended is really the end of it all."

"Seems like you have everything all planned out," said Brooke admiring his enthusiasm.

Lucas nodded wondering if she knew that he was talking about her. The waiter returned with their meals leaving them alone just as quickly.

"So, how's your new line coming along?" asked Lucas as they each dove into their entrees.

"It's coming along really well actually. I've sketched a couple of designs. I'm presenting them to a few departments next week," replied Brooke with the same enthusiasm Lucas had when he talked about his novel.

Lucas laughed as Brooke closed her eyes savoring the taste as she chewed on a piece of her chicken parmesan. "Shut up, you have to try this!" she beamed. She held her fork out and fed a bite of chicken to Lucas who nodded approvingly. "Told you it was good," she added with a smile.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I talked to Haley today and she said to say hello and that she misses you."

"I miss her too. God, I haven't talked to Haley in ages…or anyone in Tree Hill for that matter," pouted Brooke. Brooke frowned and glanced away from his gaze as she thought about Tree Hill. "How are Naley and Jaime?"

"They're good. Jaime's quite a handful," smiled Lucas. Her frown didn't go unnoticed by him, and he knew how much she missed home.

"Sometimes I wish I could go back to Tree Hill," muttered Brooke sadly.

"Why can't you?" he questioned disappointedly.

"Because I…I have a life here," she sighed, "My company, Victoria, not that she's much of a mom, but she's the only family I have around…" Lucas shook his head at her response. "Plus, there's Rachel to worry about," added Brooke. Lucas tilted his head in confusion hoping Brooke would explain what she meant. "She…she got involved with some bad stuff a couple months ago," she went on, "Cocaine actually. She's fine now, I mean, she's been sober for awhile, but it was pretty scary. I just worry about her."

"I'm really sorry to hear that, but I'm glad everything is okay," said Lucas sympathetically.

The next ten minutes or so passed in a comfortable silence as they each finished off their meals. They walked out of the restaurant and stood uncomfortably on the sidewalk. Brooke hailed a cab but didn't move from her position in front of Lucas. Neither of them wanted the night to end, and it was obvious to both.

"So…" muttered Lucas running a hand through his hair nervously.

"Um…thanks for dinner," smiled Brooke, silently laughing at the awkwardness of the situation. Lucas parted his lips about to respond but no words came out. He opened the cab door for her allowing her to get inside. Lucas waved uneasily before gently pushing the door. Brooke immediately stopped the door and pushed it back open.

"Aren't you coming?" questioned Brooke almost flirtatiously as she kinked her eyebrow.

Lucas smiled and joined her in the cab, and they headed to Lucas's hotel.

* * *

Rachel forced a giddy smile on her face as she served some obnoxious middle aged business man his fourth beer of the night. Other than modeling for Clothes Over Bro's, Rachel worked some nights as a bartender at a low key club in the city.

"Rachel?"

She turned abruptly as she heard her name. She recognized the voice immediately. She would never be able to forget his voice, but she most definitely never expected to hear it again or to see him again.

Rachel locked eyes with the owner of the voice sitting at the bar, and her heart dropped. Cooper Lee.

"Cooper…oh my God," Rachel managed to choke out still in shock.

"Yeah," he returned just as surprised to see her, "How long has it been?"

He knew that was a stupid question, because they both knew exactly how long it had been since they'd seen each other. It wasn't exactly hard to forget driving off of a bridge and almost dying.

"Two and a half years," said Rachel.

"You look good," acknowledged Cooper not knowing what to say.

Rachel looked at him incredulously. "I look good? That's what you have to say to me after everything that happened between us," stated Rachel frustrated.

She turned to go attend to other customers, but Cooper reached across the bar and grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Wait, Rachel…"

Rachel crossed her arms as she faced him again. She had to admit he looked pretty good himself, as if he hadn't aged a day since she last saw him.

Cooper choked on his words unable to express himself in that moment. He wasn't expecting to see Rachel ever again, and he didn't expect to feel this way when he saw her…like he missed her. He had treated her badly when they were together. Their relationship was full of lies, and he didn't want to be judged for dating a girl in high school. Things could be different now though, at least he hoped so.

"I'm only going to be in the city for a couple of days, but do you think we could meet up tomorrow or something?" asked Cooper, "I'd really like to talk to you."

"I don't know, Coop…"

"Please," he pleaded with her.

"Okay," sighed Rachel giving in.

Cooper smiled in return. He quickly jotted down his cell phone number on a napkin and slipped it to her before leaving the bar. Rachel watched his retreating figure, wondering what was going to come of this.

* * *

Lucas used his key card to open the door to his hotel room allowing Brooke to enter first. Brooke walked inside and threw her purse onto the desk in the room. The room had a large king size bed, and it was complete with a small kitchen. She slipped off her heels and set them down by the door, and they were soon joined by Lucas' own shoes. He took off his tie and unbuttoned the neck of his shirt.

"Very impressive, Broody," smirked Brooke as she hopped up on the edge of the counter in the mini kitchen. She realized she had called him by the nickname, but he simply smiled in return.

"Why thank you, Cheery," returned Lucas, "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Sure, what do you have?" she asked.

Lucas opened the mini fridge, and they both laughed at the sight of a single bottle of water he had in the fridge. "Water it is," he said. He poured the water into two separate glasses, handing one to Brooke. Lucas leaned against the wall across from where Brooke was sitting on the counter.

They both engaged in a series of lingering stares as they sipped their water. Brooke had to look away from him due to the intensity of his ocean blue eyes piercing into her own hazel ones.

"So…on the phone earlier, I think you might have called this a date," said Brooke.

"I…uh…I might have said that," he returned with a slight laugh.

"Why?" asked Brooke. Lucas gave her a confused expression at her question. "I mean, why did you call tonight a date?"

"I guess I was kind of pretending that this was a date," Lucas answered honestly, "I think I've been pretending that for the past few days, because being just friends with you, Brooke, is easier said than done."

Lucas stepped closer to Brooke so that he was standing directly in front of her. He set his glass down on the counter, purposely brushing his hand against hers while doing so. Brooke swallowed nervously, her eyes locked on his lips that were only inches away from her. She wanted to slap herself for wanting to kiss him, but she couldn't help it. It wasn't just now that she was feeling like this either. There had been so many opportunities over the past few days when she wanted to forget about everything and kiss him.

"Can I be honest with you, Lucas?" Lucas nodded expecting her to reject what he had just confessed. He was surprised as Brooke closed her eyes, leaned forward, and gently pressed her lips against his. Lucas's eyelids fluttered shut as he returned the kiss. It was a short, sweet, and passionate kiss as their lips moved perfectly in sync. He could feel his body instantly reacting to her touch. Brooke reluctantly drew away from him, and their eyes immediately searched each other's as they opened. She laughed shyly as a huge smile spread across Lucas' face matched by one of her own.

"Wow, anything else you need to be honest with me about?" asked Lucas jokingly. Brooke nudged his chest playfully before returning to her serious tone.

"I was kind of hoping that tonight was a date too," admitted Brooke.

Lucas felt immediate relief as he heard this, but he needed to make sure that Brooke really was okay with this. "There's one more thing I need you to be honest with me about," said Lucas. Brooke nodded slowly. "Do you really want to be just friends?" he asked her. She shook her head in response. "Tell me what you want."

Lucas searched her eyes pleadingly, but he didn't get a verbal response. Brooke kissed him hard on the lips, and he returned the kiss with the same intensity. Brooke didn't need to say it to make it clear that she wanted him. She wrapped her arms around his neck deepening the kiss by pulling him closer in to her. Lucas snaked his arms around her waist and slipped his tongue passed her lips. Moments later, they both pulled apart for much needed oxygen. Lucas wasted no time in attacking her neck. Brooke moaned as he focused his attention just below her ear, which he knew drove her crazy.

They joined their lips back together savoring the taste of each other. Brooke quickly unbuttoned Lucas' shirt slipping it off his shoulders and down his arms to fall to the floor. She then reached for the zipper on his pants, and those too were shortly discarded. Lucas reached for the hem of Brooke's dress easing it up. Brooke wrapped her legs around his waist, and Lucas gently lifted her off of the counter to help her out of the dress. It soon joined his shirt on the floor leaving her in just her bra and panties. Lucas stepped away from the clothing with Brooke in his arms. They made their way to the bed, their lips still attached and moving against each other.

He sat down on the edge of the bed allowing Brooke to position herself so that she was straddling him. Lucas expertly removed her bra and began to focus his attention on her chest. He kissed down from her collarbone and took one of her nipples into his mouth. Brooke stroked her hands through his short blonde hair and moaned as he sucked on her erect nipple. He kissed his way over to the next one, repeating his action. She could feel his erection growing, and Brooke began slowly grinding her hips back and forth against his hardness. Lucas grunted at the friction she was creating. He felt like he was going to explode in his boxers, and he could feel how wet she already was through her panties.

Brooke ran her hand down his chest and slipped it under the hem of his boxers. She curled her fingers around his shaft and pumped her hand up and down. She felt him throbbing in her hand, and Lucas felt his release coming. He quickly grabbed her hand to stop her actions.

"Not like this," he murmured huskily into her ear, "I want to be inside of you when I cum."

The arousal in his voice alone was enough to make Brooke cum, but she did her best to hold on. They altered their position on the bed so that Brooke was lying on her back, and Lucas lay comfortably in between her legs. Brooke pushed his boxers down his waist revealing him fully as she kissed his lips lustfully. He hooked his fingers under her lace panties, slipping them down her legs, and they soon joined his boxers on the floor. Brooke gasped as his hard member brushed against her wet folds teasingly. Lucas looked into her eyes once more, unsure of whether she wanted this or not, because he knew he did.

"Are you sure about this, Brooke?" he says in a soft tone, "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

Brooke smiled and kissed him hard on the lips in reassurance. She couldn't believe he was asking her this now, when there was nothing separating them, but she thought it was incredibly sweet of him and such a Scott thing to do.

"Lucas, just shut up and fuck me," demanded Brooke in her raspy voice that Lucas found more attractive than anything.

Any second thoughts he had had left his mind as he entered her. Brooke gasped at the feeling of him inside of her again. Lucas watched the expression on her face as she relished in the feeling, and he thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He begins moving in and against her slowly eliciting quiet moans of pleasure from Brooke.

"Oh…Lucas..." she moaned louder than she intended to.

Lucas quickened his pace as Brooke grabbed his firm and muscular ass pulling him deeper into her. He began thrusting into her deeper and harder. Brooke moved her hips in sync with his thrust so that they were moving in a sensual rhythm.

"Brooke…" Lucas groaned her name over and over again as his release finally hit him. He came inside of her causing Brooke to fall over the edge with him moments later. She breathed heavily as Lucas buried his face into the crook of her neck and planted a soft kiss below her ear, both savoring the after effects of their intense orgasms.

Lucas rolled over onto his back taking Brooke with him. He wrapped his arms around her keeping her close to him. Brooke snuggled up to him lovingly, him still inside of her. No "I love you's" were exchanged but none were needed in that moment, because they both knew how the other felt.

* * *

Rachel rang the doorbell to Brooke's house, and when she didn't get an answer she knocked. Still no answer. She took out her spare key that Brooke had given her and went inside. It was late, but Brooke wasn't home. Rachel smirked to herself knowingly. Brooke was definitely with Lucas; at least she hoped that's where she was.

She wanted to talk to Brooke about Cooper, but that would have to wait. Rachel had gone to her own apartment after work to find an eviction notice on her front door. She knew she was getting behind on her payments, but she didn't think it was this bad. Reality was hitting her, and Rachel was starting to worry if she would be able to get by. It was an expensive penthouse apartment, she had an image to uphold, but her modeling and bartending salary wasn't enough to keep her afloat, especially with the high class lifestyle she was living. Rachel had planned on asking Brooke if she could stay with her on a more permanent basis, but she didn't want to be needy. The brunette had done so much for her, and Rachel hated asking for help.

Rachel flinched as someone knocked on the front door. She walked to the door wondering who the hell could be here at this time of night. She swung the door open and came face to face with none other than Peyton Sawyer.

"Oh, fuck," muttered Rachel under her breath.

**A/N: Sorry for the cliff hanger...kind of! haha. I thought it was about time we get some characters other than Rachel and Brucas, so there we have it. You know what to do! :)**


	5. So Much For That

**Okay, I'm sorry I haven't updated in forever, but it's finally here! This is a really short chapter, it's kind of a filler chapter, but I needed it to progress the story. No Brucas interaction in this chapter, but it's very important for their storyline. Thanks for reading. Please Review and I'll Take Any Suggestions You May Have :)**

**Replies to my Readers:**

**dianehermans - ****Yes, Peyton is usually trouble when it comes to Brucas, but I'll try not to make her a complete bitch in this story. I knew you would love the date! Thanks :)**

**bjq - ****Not sure if I want Brooke, Lucas, and Peyton to all meet together, but there will definitely be some interaction. Don't worry, Cooper isn't here to cause trouble :)**

**xXalienatedXx - Isn't that what Peyton always does? haha It sucks I know, but Brucas will definitely be end game. They'll get back to boyfriend and pretty girl soon enough. I liked the side storylines like Rachel's so I'm glad you like that. Thank you for reading =D**

**craxygirl54- Thanks for adding this to your favs, that means a lot! =) Glad you liked the chapter!**

**ciaranoelle- I hate Peyton too, but I'm going to try and make her a tad bit more likeable in this story. lol keep reading and reviewing! love your input :D**

**GossipGirl27- thanks so much! i really appreciate it! keep reviewing! :)**

**So Much For That**

Brooke couldn't help but smile to herself as she opened her front door and stepped inside. It was about eight in the morning, and she had just left Lucas' hotel. After waking in each other's arms, they kissed and just smiled at each other as they basked in their happiness. Lucas wanted to talk about their relationship, but Brooke wasn't ready for serious conversation. She told him that they shouldn't complicate things so soon. Brooke knew he wasn't content with that, but he agreed to just keep things simple.

"Well, well, well…" Brooke's heart nearly jumped out of her chest at the voice. She breathed a sigh of relief as Rachel flipped on the light switch in the kitchen where she was standing. "Look who's doing the walk of shame," laughed Rachel, "I take it your night went well."

"Oh, it went very well," smirked Brooke with a wink, deciding that there was no sense in hiding anything from her friend.

"You slut, I want details," said Rachel, "But we have bigger issues to deal with right now." Brooke raised her eyebrow in confusion urging Rachel to continue. "Peyton Sawyer is in the building."

"What?" Brooke's mouth dropped and formed the shape of an 'O.' Rachel had to be joking, because there was no way Peyton could be in her house. This was the worst possible time for her to be there. Brooke didn't know what to think or do or say.

"I came over here last night, and she just showed up out of the blue," explained Rachel, "I let her crash in the guest room, which might as well be my room, but anyways, we didn't really talk."

Brooke was about to respond when they heard rustling and a door creak open. Rachel and Brooke both looked at each other in panic.

"Shit, that's her. Act surprised," advised Rachel.

"As if I need to act," muttered Brooke under her breath.

Peyton came out of the bedroom, and a huge smile spread across her face when she saw Brooke. Brooke tried to plaster the best fake smile on her face that she could as Peyton ran up to her.

"B. Davis! Surprise!" beamed Peyton as she wrapped her arms around her best friend in a reuniting hug.

"Oh my God! P. Sawyer!" exclaimed Brooke. Okay, this was real. Peyton was truly here, no joke. "I missed you," said Brooke honestly, "What are you doing here?"

"I missed my best friend, that's what I'm doing here," smiled Peyton. Rachel stood the side as she enjoyed the scene before her. "Are you just getting home?" asked Peyton noticing Brooke's crinkled attire and the purse she still held in her hand.

"Um…" Brooke hesitated before answering. She realized she looked like she had just woken up, and there was no way to hide that. "Yeah, I was working late," she lied.

"Oh…you slept at your office?" Peyton wondered.

Rachel realized the awkward situation, so she immediately jumped in to help Brooke and stop Peyton from asking questions that couldn't be answered. "So, Peyton…" interjected Rachel, "How are you? Life in Los Angeles must be really exciting."

"I'm good, and yeah it is," answered Peyton. She wondered why Rachel seemed so interested considering they had never liked each other. "Are you actually being nice right now?"

"Don't get used to it, Blondie," scoffed Rachel, "I was just curious."

"We should go out for breakfast," suggested Peyton turning her attention back to Brooke, "We have a lot to catch up on."

"Oh, you two go ahead," Rachel purposely cut in, "I already have a breakfast date."

"I was talking to Brooke, but okay," returned Peyton, "I'll go get ready."

Peyton went to the guest room to get changed, leaving Rachel and Brooke to themselves again. They waited for the door to close so that she was out of earshot before talking.

"Breakfast date?" questioned Brooke crossing her arms.

"I promise to tell you all about it later," answered Rachel rolling her eyes with a laugh, "In the meantime, have fun with Peytwhore."

Rachel picked up her purse off the counter and headed for the front door, but Brooke grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Rachel, I didn't prepare for this," said Brooke panicking, "She's going to know something is up."

"So, just make something up," she shrugged, "There's that rumor about you and Nick Zano dating. Just roll with it."

"Roll with it? Rach, I'm not you, I can't just roll with it," refuted Brooke.

"Look, let her do all the talking, avoid questions the best you can, and don't mention that Lucas is here."

"Obviously, I wouldn't do that, but what am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know, Brooke. What the fuck do you want me to tell you?" Rachel burst out. She didn't mean to be so bitchy, but her nerves about Cooper were getting to her. Not to mention, she was annoyed that Peyton had showed up when she did, because she really needed to talk to Brooke about Cooper and her other problems. Brooke was taken aback by her friend's exclamation. "I don't even like the bitch; she's your friend, not mine. To be completely honest, I don't know why you're still friends with her."

Brooke knew where this was going. Rachel didn't think that Peyton deserved Brooke as a friend after everything she did in the past.

"Can we please not get into this right now?" she responded.

"Fine," jeered Rachel, "Enjoy your fucking breakfast."

"Ugh!" Brooke threw her hands up in annoyance at Rachel's attitude. This was going to be the most difficult breakfast she would ever have to endure. That sounded horrible, considering Peyton was supposed to be her best friend, but over the past couple years, they really had drifted apart. Rachel was more of a best friend to Brooke, than Peyton had been, and the distance had nothing to do with it.

* * *

Rachel sat at a table in Petite Abeille, a classy restaurant in the city, nervously awaiting Cooper's arrival. She had no idea what she was going to say to him. To say that last night's encounter was awkward would be an understatement, but that was expected considering they didn't exactly leave on good terms the last time they saw each other more than two years ago.

"Thanks again for meeting with me," said Cooper as he finally joined her at the table.

"No problem," returned Rachel with a charming smile.

The waiter came by shortly after to take their orders. Rachel ordered an orange juice and strawberry crepes, while Cooper ordered a coffee and Belgian waffles. As the waiter left to retrieve their meals, Rachel figured it was time to get to the point.

"So, I think I was a tad bit harsh on you last night," muttered Rachel apologetically. Cooper raised an eyebrow at her. "Okay, I was a complete bitch, and I'm sorry," she corrected herself.

"It's okay," laughed Cooper.

"No, it's not okay," replied Rachel, "You didn't deserve that, especially considering our past…"

Rachel paused as the waiter returned with their orders. They each muttered a 'thank you' to the waiter, and Rachel went on.

"Cooper, I am so sorry," continued Rachel, "I'm sorry for lying to you about my age, ruining your nephew's wedding, stealing the limo and almost getting us killed, destroying your career…and I'm sure the list goes on. I've wanted to tell you that since that day in the hospital."

"Thank you, Rachel, but I forgave you a long time ago," admitted Cooper, "I can't let you take all the blame, because it was my fault too. I slept with you knowing how old you were, and that was my mistake."

Rachel was a bit taken aback by this. Did he really think that they were a mistake? She was at least glad that they finally had this chance to talk everything through for the first time.

"My age was never really the problem, though, was it?" questioned Rachel, "Was I wrong to believe that we had real feelings for each other?"

"I did care about you," sighed Cooper, "I was afraid of the looks I would have gotten and what people would have said if I were with you. I'm sorry."

"Okay," returned Rachel, nodding in understanding, "I get that now." She really did understand where he had been coming from. I mean, she was only twenty, and she wouldn't be caught dead dating a guy in high school."

"So, fresh start," he shrugged holding out his hand, "What do you say?"

"In that case, hi, I'm Rachel Gatina," she smiled shaking his hand across the table.

"Pleasure to meet you, Rachel," he returned with the same flashy smile, "I'm Cooper Lee."

They both laughed as they dug into their breakfast. The pair conversed about what they had been up to the past two years, and Cooper explained why he was in New York. It was like they were strangers, but they would definitely become something more, because they both felt so comfortable with each other. Rachel couldn't help but wonder if there was a chance that something could happen between them now that age wasn't an issue, but she wasn't getting her hopes up. That was a lifetime ago, and they were complete different people now.

* * *

Brooke and Peyton took a cab to Long Island, where they went to have breakfast at Brooklyn Bagel and Coffee Company. Brooke specifically chose this low key bistro to avoid running into Lucas, because he had mentioned that he had a breakfast meeting with his editor Lindsay. Brooke and Peyton each got a bagel and coffee and sat an outdoor table. They both talked casually about their careers, and about how different New York was from Los Angeles.

After breakfast, they went back to Brooke's Manhattan penthouse. They sat down comfortable on the leather seats in the living room. The atmosphere seemed to change, and they both knew that their conversation was about to take a more serious route.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you," smiled Peyton.

"It's good to see you too," said Brooke returning the same bright smile.

"So, what's up with you?" asked Peyton.

Peyton couldn't help but notice that Brooke seemed happier than when they were living together in Los Angeles. Even just looking at her, she could tell that something was different.

"What do you mean?" questioned Brooke.

"You just seem different since the last time we really talked," stated Peyton.

"Peyton, we haven't talked in months," she revealed harshly. It seemed kind of ridiculous for Peyton to be questioning her attitude. Of course something was different about her; they had hardly talked in the last year after Brooke left LA.

"I know, and I'm sorry for that," Peyton apologized, "And I'm sorry for showing up like this. I just really need my best friend right now."

"It's okay, and I'm sorry too; I'm glad you came," said Brooke half heartedly, "Is everything okay?"

Everything was not okay, and Brooke knew that. She needed to get to the point though, because breaking up with Lucas was clearly the reason Peyton came there.

"Lucas and I broke up pretty recently," began Peyton watching Brooke's reaction. Brooke knew she should act shocked and surprised, but it was hard to do, considering she had known from the day it happened. "I was going to tell you sooner, but I didn't know what to say."

"I'm sorry, P. Sawyer," uttered Brooke.

Peyton waited for her to say something else. She assumed that Brooke would ask when it happened and what happened, but she said nothing. To Peyton, it seemed like she wasn't the least bit stunned by her break up with Lucas.

"Yeah, me too," stated Peyton deciding to explain further, "He came to LA and proposed to me, but I didn't say yes. Then, the next morning, I woke up, and he was gone."

"Wow, um…I'm…that sucks…I'm really sorry," stuttered Brooke. She mentally cursed herself for sounding so nervous.

"Thanks. Why does it seem like you're not at all surprised by this?" asked Peyton.

"I am," Brooke lied, "I'm just distracted. How are you doing since it happened?"

"Honestly, I've been a mess," answered Peyton finally glad that Brooke was showing an interest. For a second there, it seemed like she didn't even care. "I met this guy, Julian, and he's…he's been really great."

Okay, now Brooke was definitely interested. Who the fuck was this Julian guy? How could Peyton be talking about some other guy already? It was bad enough that Lucas went straight to Brooke, but now she finds out that Peyton went off to this Julian guy. Did Lucas and Peyton really think that little of each other?

"Wait, you're seeing someone else already?" she inquired.

"He's just a friend," explained the blonde, "I know I sound like a horrible person, because Lucas is probably heartbroken." Brooke held her breath at the comment, because Lucas sure as hell wasn't as heartbroken as Peyton thought. "But Julian's different," Peyton continued, "He's funny, charming, genuine, and I really like him. I don't think about Lucas when I'm with him."

"So, what's next?" asked Brooke, "I mean, what's your plan? Julian? Lucas?"

"I don't know, that's why I came here," declared Peyton, "I needed a sense of home, and my best friend is the one person that can give me that."

Brooke smiled at the comment; she was glad Peyton still considered her a best friend, even if Brooke wasn't so sure if she could consider Peyton her best friend.

"Um…so why didn't you say yes…when Lucas asked you to marry him?" wondered Brooke curiously. She had to know why Peyton wouldn't immediately say yes to Lucas' proposal. After everything she put Brooke through just to be with Lucas, it seemed kind of surreal to her that Peyton would actually reject him.

"I actually stopped him before he even asked," confessed the angst blonde, "It just didn't feel right. I'd anticipated that moment for years, but it wasn't what I hoped it would be. This is probably going to sound strange, but when I looked at Lucas as he was getting ready to ask…all I could think about was Jake."

"Jake?" questioned Brooke in astonishment.

"Yeah, I've never told you this, but senior year when I went to see Jake before Nathan and Haley's wedding, I asked him to marry me, and he said yes," she revealed.

Brooke looked at her friend sympathetically; noticing how hurt Peyton seemed by the whole thing. Brooke needed answers now more than ever, because it was that same day after Peyton saw Jake that she told Brooke about her feelings for Lucas.

"I've never been as happy as I was in that moment, but everything changed the next morning. Apparently, Jake heard me say that I loved Lucas in my sleep, and well, you know the rest," she went on. Brooke nodded knowing exactly what happened next, and she didn't want to be reminded of it. "I guess, subconsciously, I was still holding on to what could be with Lucas. Now, I don't know what I want anymore."

"Wow…I had no idea," muttered Brooke. She was completely at a loss for words, but she knew Peyton wanted her advice. "Peyton, I think you need to focus on yourself and figure out what you want. I mean, that's why you went to LA, right?"

"Right," she agreed, "Thanks, Brooke. I think I'm gonna be okay."

"That's all that matters," vowed Brooke with a smile in return.

Peyton let out a sigh of relief, thankful to get everything off of her chest. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders, and Brooke noticed this, which made her feel even guiltier for keeping her own secrets.

"So, who's the guy that's got you so distracted?" asked Peyton.

"It's just work," murmured Brooke, "I've been stressed, that's all."

"Alright," she acknowledged, "I still think it's a guy. I've heard rumors about Nick Zano."

Brooke debated about whether or not she should take Rachel's advice and just 'roll with' the rumor about Nick Zano. She ultimately decided against it, because lying about Lucas was enough.

Rachel soon returned from her breakfast, and the three girls watched a movie together. Rachel nudged Brooke multiple times to find out what happened with Peyton, but Brooke continued to ignore her. Brooke couldn't believe that she had let things get this far already, because what she and Lucas were doing was wrong, and lying to Peyton was wrong. It was somewhat of a relief to hear Peyton talk about Jake and Julian, but Lucas was still in her heart. Brooke was conflicted. She wasn't sure what to do about Lucas now, because it was evident that Peyton still loved him.

Brooke loved Lucas though. Of course her happiness with him was short lived as usual. Why the fuck did Peyton always get in the way? Brooke thought she would at least be happy with Lucas in New York for a little while longer. So much for that.

**A/N: Thanks for reading everyone! If you have any suggestions, then feel free to let me know. I was thinking about doing a two year time jump after another chapter, but I'm not quite sure yet. Major Brucas in the next chapter :)**


	6. Happy For The Moment

**Hey Readers! I wanted to get this chapter up as soon as possible, so here it is! I loved writing this chapter, so I hope you guys like it. I didn't get as many reviews as I'd hoped for on the last one, but what the hell, you guys are amazing. Let me know what you think of this. As promised, there is major BRUCAS!**

**Shout Outs To My Reviewers:**

**xXalienatedXx - Thanks so much for reviewing! Your review actually inspired me to write the Brachel scene in this chapter, so I hope you like it :)**

**forever-alwaysB-Davis - Thank you thank you thank you! lol loved reading your review, and i think you'll love this chapter!**

**dianehermans - you are going to love this brucas filled chapter =D**

**craxygirl54 - thanks for your review! Yeah, Peyton was super annoying and completely oblivious to Brooke's feelings. Hopefully she'll get a clue soon ;)**

**bjq - Brooke definitely needs to be selfish for a change! Thanks for the review, you're gonna love this chapter =)**

**rockdragon293 - Thanks so much! Happy to get a new reader!**

**Happy For The Moment**

That evening, Rachel had gone back to her apartment, because she was sick of hanging out with Peyton. Brooke, herself, couldn't even stand being at her own house. It all just seemed too fake. Peyton was acting like nothing had changed between them, and that was so far from the truth. Thankfully, Peyton would be leaving the next morning back to LA. Brooke made an excuse about having to go in to work, leaving Peyton by herself for the rest of the evening.

Brooke had no intention of going to work though; instead, she found herself standing in front of the door to Lucas' hotel room. Lucas opened the door, and a huge smile spread across his face when he saw Brooke. She couldn't help but smile in the same manner when she saw him, despite the thoughts she had racing through her head. Brooke walked inside, and Lucas closed the door behind her. She instinctively wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips against his.

"I've been thinking about you all day," Lucas managed in between kisses.

"I was here this morning," laughed Brooke as she pulled away.

"I know, but you left so suddenly," returned Lucas, "We didn't get a chance to really talk."

Brooke took his hand and led him over to the bed where they sat down. Lucas could tell that she needed to talk to him about something, but she seemed nervous. He squeezed her hand reassuringly, hoping that this wasn't bad news.

"Remember when I said that we shouldn't complicate things?" Lucas nodded expectantly. "Well, I think we're gonna have to."

"Okay…" muttered Lucas unsure of where this was going.

"Peyton's here…" Brooke watched Lucas closely as the words passed her lips, anxiously awaiting his reaction. The expression on his face never wavered. Lucas was gazing at Brooke intently as he focused all of his attention on her, making her feel like she was the only girl in the world. He realized that she was expecting him to do or say something, so he did.

"That doesn't matter to me," he said honestly, "She doesn't matter to me."

"Are you sure?" she questioned in disbelief, "You don't even want to talk to her or find out what went wrong between the two of you?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Lucas replied with a slight laugh. He caressed her cheek with his hand and looked into her eyes lovingly. "Peyton and I were wrong from the very beginning, so no; I don't need to talk to her. I want to talk to you, so continue please." Brooke let out a breath that she didn't even know she was holding as she suddenly felt relieved.

Lucas could sense that something was off about the atmosphere in the room; Brooke had been having second thoughts because of Peyton and he knew it.

"Brooke, don't let her come between us," declared Lucas seriously, "Not again."

He suddenly felt anger towards Peyton. He was usually always the one feeling sorry for Peyton Sawyer, but he decided that he was done feeling sorry for her. That was his mistake two years ago, and he wasn't about to make that mistake again. Lucas Scott was done letting Peyton Sawyer ruin his relationship with Brooke.

Brooke thought about breaking things off with Lucas for good on her way there, but that thought was a distant memory as she looked at Lucas. Peyton had fucked with her heart too many times. Brooke sacrificed so much for Peyton, but Peyton had never done anything for Brooke.

_I have a fucking right to be selfish…thought Brooke. Peyton can't make up her damn mind about what she wants. Well, Rachel's right…screw Peyton. I know what I want…Lucas, and nobody is going to tell me that I can't have him. I deserve to feel happy for longer than five seconds for once in my fucking life!_

"What are you thinking?" asked Lucas hopefully.

"I'm thinking that…I don't want to be anywhere else but here…with you," said Brooke. Lucas sighed happily. "I love you, Boyfriend," she admitted.

"Boyfriend?" questioned Lucas pleased that she had finally said it. She was finally being selfish and doing something for herself. Brooke nodded with a giddy smile on her face. "I like the sound of that, Pretty Girl," added Lucas as he kissed her passionately.

It was more than just a simple kiss. For both Brooke and Lucas, it felt like nothing was in there way for the first time. There was no holding back, nobody could keep them apart. Lucas cupped her cheeks and Brooke placed her hands on his chest as they deepened the kiss. Their tongues explored each other as they fell down onto the bed.

They both groaned in annoyance as Brooke's cell phone rang. She rolled her eyes seeing that it was Peyton calling, but she felt a little bad for leaving her all alone, especially since she had come to see Brooke.

"I should probably get back," sighed Brooke. They were both sitting at the edge of the bed again. "I have to go with Peyton to the airport in the morning," she explained.

"Don't go," Lucas pleaded as he began kissing her neck, "Stay with me tonight." Brooke moaned as his lips reached the spot he knew drove her crazy. She looked down at her phone as it beeped to alert her of a text message. It was from Peyton.

_**B. Davis, is everything okay? You've been gone awhile & I'm bored as fuck. Get your ass back here. Screw Victoria. 3**_

Lucas grabbed Brooke's phone out of her hand and lied down teasingly keeping it out of her reach. Brooke laughed as she playfully straddled him reaching for her phone.

"Give it back, you goof!" she beamed.

Brooke leaned down as she finally grabbed her phone out of Lucas' hand, and he pressed his lips against hers as she did. Lucas sat up right with Brooke still straddling him, their lips still locked in a heated kiss. She pulled away from him and looked at him, his eyes praying for her to stay.

"Are we staying yet?" he asked.

"You have no idea how hard it is to say no to you," grinned Brooke.

Lucas smiled as Brooke tossed her phone aside and kissed him. He wasted no time in taking off her blouse and strapless bra. Lucas lifted his arms up over his head allowing Brooke to remove his tee shirt. She pushed his shoulders gently causing him to fall onto his back. She brought her lips down to his waist line and kissed up his toned abs and chest until she reached his neck.

"You know, there's something we haven't done in awhile…years even," murmured Brooke. Her voice was raspy and seductive as she whispered in his ear.

"Oh, yeah? What's that?" he questioned, the arousal evident in his voice.

"You'll just have to wait and see, baby," whispered Brooke nibbling on his ear mischievously.

Brooke unbuckled Lucas' jeans, and they were quickly shed from his body joining the previously discarded clothing on the floor. She slid his boxers down his legs, and Lucas quietly predicted what pleasure he was about to receive from the beautiful brunette. Brooke smiled as she revealed his fully erect member. She teasingly kissed the shaft of his penis as she held him with both hands, causing him to twitch with anticipation. She took him into her mouth and began to slowly move up and down as she sucked him. Brooke quickened her pace and bit down softly eliciting approving grunts and moans from Lucas. He felt his release coming, but he wasn't ready yet. Lucas stopped her actions and flipped them over, wanting to give Brooke just as much pleasure as she was giving him.

"I think it's your turn now, cheery," groaned Lucas.

He pulled off her jeans shorts, and planted tiny butterfly kisses along her stomach until he reached her breasts. Lucas began massaging them with his hands, enjoying the sensation he was creating not only for Brooke, but for himself as well. Unable to resist, he took her in his mouth and slowly bit down on her nipple. A scream of appreciation escaped her lips as he continued to ravish her.

He then kissed down to the top of her panties and flicked his tongue underneath the material. Lucas smirked as she practically begged him to take them off. He brought his lips to hers in another searing kiss and removed them with his hands, completely eliminating any barriers that separated them. Brooke gasped as Lucas slowly entered one of his fingers inside of her, enjoying her warmth and wetness. He plunged another finger into her flicking her bud in the process, and he couldn't get enough as he watched the expression on her face. Unable to resist, Lucas dipped his head down between Brooke's legs and slowly slipped his tongue between her folds. He moved his tongue teasingly within her folds to taste every drop of her juices. Brooke desperately grabbed onto the bed as Lucas pleasured her, and neither of them could take it any longer. He kissed his way back up to her lips, allowing her to taste herself on him.

Lucas and Brooke gazed lovingly into each other's eyes as he hovered above her entrance. They both smiled at each other, knowing that what they were about to do was more than just sex. It was love.

"Make love to me, Lucas Scott," she whispered with a charming smile.

"Anything for you, Brooke Davis," he returned.

They shared a sweet and passionate kiss as Lucas entered her completely. Her muscles clenched around him, and she arched her back to give him more access. Lucas needed to feel as much of her as possible. He moved in and out of her as they both fell into a rhythm, their bodies rocking in sync. She tightened her legs around his waist as they increased their pace. Lucas pressed his lips against hers to stifle Brooke's screams of ecstasy. Shortly after, Lucas, too, came, exploding inside of her. After riding out their waves of euphoria together, they both lie on their backs, trying to catch their breaths.

Brooke snuggled into his side, and Lucas' lips laid a caring kiss atop her head.

"Say it again," he mumbled breathlessly. Brooke smiled knowing exactly what he was referring to.

"I love you, Boyfriend," she replied with an honest smile.

"I love you too, Pretty Girl."

* * *

Peyton grabbed her bag off of the bed in the guest room of Brooke's Manhattan penthouse. She threw her bag over her shoulder and peeked into Brooke's room as she made her way out of the guest room. Brooke's bed hadn't been slept in, and Peyton was beginning to worry. Brooke was supposed to be going with her to the airport, so Peyton found it strange that she wouldn't even call. Peyton tried to call her, but it went straight to voicemail. There was a knock on the front door just as Peyton was about to try calling Brooke's office phone.

"Hey, Peyton."

"Um…hi," muttered Peyton wondering how the girl at the door knew who she was.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Millicent Huxtable, Brooke's assistant," she replied introducing herself. Peyton smiled as she shook her hand. "There is a car outside to take you to the airport. Brooke couldn't make it, but she asked me to come instead. So, here I am. Oh, and she is really sorry that she couldn't be here to say goodbye," Millie rambled on.

"Okay, then." Peyton laughed at Millicent's rambling. "Did Brooke say why she couldn't make it?" Peyton asked, "Is she working still?"

Millicent nervously looked away from Peyton. She was definitely not one to lie, and Brooke didn't even tell her why she, herself, couldn't take her own friend to airport. Millie considered Brooke as one of her friends too, though, not just her boss, so she wanted to cover for her without making it completely obvious that she was lying.

"Yes," she said simply to answer Peyton's question.

Peyton gave her a confused look. "Was that a yes that she's still working, or was that a yes that she said why she couldn't make it?"

"Yes, the first one," Millie uttered quickly trying to avoid questions, "Are you ready to go?"

"Uh…yeah, I guess I am," answered Peyton looking back into the house one last time.

Peyton was glad that she got to see Brooke, even if it was for a short time. She really needed her friend's advice, and Brooke was right; she needed to focus on herself, which was the reason she went to Los Angeles in the first place. Whether she was in love with Lucas or Jake or even Julian, she just needed to figure it out on her own, instead of depending on everyone else to help her through it.

* * *

Lucas opened his eyes as the morning sun shined into the room. His first instinct was to shield his eyes from the blinding light, but he then saw the gorgeous brunette lying next to him. He held his head up with one arm leaning on his elbow as he watched her sleeping. Brooke stretched as she too woke up and opened her eyes, smiling when she saw Lucas watching her.

"You're staring," she murmured closing her eyes.

"I'm gazing," he corrected.

"It's creepy," she smiled.

"I thought you might think of it as romantic," he grinned as he pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "You're too beautiful not to look at."

Brooke blushed at the comment, opening her eyes again. She gave him a quick kiss before replying. "Okay, it's pretty romantic," she admitted.

She smiled to herself as she looked at Lucas, thinking about the past week and half that he'd been in New York. "This is crazy, right?"

"What's that?"

"This, us, you and me together," answered Brooke gesturing to the two of them in bed together.

"I don't think it's crazy," said Lucas seriously. He took Brooke's hand in his own, and their fingers interlocked as they fixed their eyes on each other. "It feels right, doesn't it?" he asked her.

"Yeah, it does," she replied squeezing his hand reassuringly, "I'm happy."

"Me too," he agreed with a smile, "I'm also glad that I didn't wake up alone."

"You thought I was going to leave?" asked Brooke, feeling bad that her previous actions when he'd first arrived in New York had given him such uncertainty.

"Last night, you mentioned that you had to be at the airport this morning, so I thought you would've snuck off," sighed Lucas.

"I had my assistant take care of Peyton," returned Brooke, "Don't worry."

Lucas noticed some doubt in the expression on Brooke's face, and he hoped that she didn't think he was actually concerned about Peyton. He furrowed his eyebrows studying her as she glanced away from him.

"I'm not worried about Peyton," Lucas assured her, "I was worried about not waking up next to my very sexy girlfriend." He saw relief wash over her, and she brought her lips to his for another quick kiss. "Do you have to work today?" he asked.

"Hmm…let me just check with my boss," joked Brooke. Lucas laughed as Brooke grabbed her phone only to quickly toss it aside again. "Um…nope, I think I'm free today," she laughed.

"Good," he muttered against her lips as he kissed her, "Because I wasn't planning on leaving this bed today."

Brooke smirked against his lips as they continued to kiss. They delved their tongues into the far corners of each other's mouths, and Lucas instinctively began to explore her body with his hands. Brooke suddenly pulled away from him, resulting in a confused and worried look from Lucas.

"Could we maybe order room service first? I need to get my energy up if we're gonna recreate last night's events," suggested Brooke kinking her eyebrow, "Plus, I'm starving."

"Good idea," agreed Lucas pecking her on the tip of her nose, "I'm thinking chocolate chip pancakes and French toast."

"Sounds yummy," she grinned in return.

* * *

"Hey hoe," beamed the red head.

Rachel strolled into Brooke's office immediately noticing how happy her friend was. Brooke glanced up from her computer to see Rachel sitting on the other side of her desk. Rachel crossed her arms as she leaned back in the chair and smirked at Brooke, who simply raised an eyebrow at her.

"Hey slut, are you here to apologize?" asked Brooke referring to their small argument when Peyton had arrived.

"Let me think…no," replied Rachel, "I have nothing to apologize for. What I said may have been a little, harsh, but I meant it. Peyton's a bitch."

"Of course," muttered Brooke rolling her eyes at Rachel's antics.

"You know me, I tell it like it is," she stated.

Brooke sighed as she turned away from her computer to focus on Rachel.

"Rach, seriously, what was with the freak out?" asked Brooke.

"I went out with Cooper yesterday, and I was nervous about it," sighed Rachel. She watched the shock immediately wash over the expression on Brooke's face.

"Cooper?" she questioned making sure she heard Rachel correctly. The feisty red head nodded in response. "As in Nathan's Uncle Cooper? Cooper Lee?"

"That's the one," muttered Rachel. Brooke then bombarded her with questions about what happened and when they had met in New York. "It went surprisingly well; we talked about the past, and we've agreed to put it behind us."

"Meaning?" Brooke looked at her with a knowing smile.

"Meaning nothing; he was just visiting a friend in the city, so don't give me that look," Rachel told Brooke defensively. Brooke put her hands up to let her know that she wasn't going to pry, and Rachel decided it was time to change the subject. "So, what is the deal with you and Lucas?"

"Um…well, we're together…completely exclusive," smiled Brooke.

"So, you bailed on Sawyer to fuck your boyfriend…I've never been so proud," grinned Rachel, "How was it? Was it awesome?"

Brooke laughed at the comment, and hesitated before answering. Oh, what the hell, this was Rachel she was talking to.

"Try best sex of my life!" exclaimed Brooke.

"Fuck yes!" yelled Rachel. They both realized how loud they were and checked to make sure nobody had heard them. Brooke quickly got up to close the door of her office before returning to where she was sitting at her desk across from Rachel. "I was worried Peyton might screw things up, but…look at you," continued Rachel sincerely admiring her friend, "You're finally putting yourself first for once. I'm proud of you, Brookie. You deserve to be happy."

"Thanks, Rachel," said Brooke.

These were the moments that made their friendship what it was. They could joke and make fun of each other, but at the end of the day, Brooke loved Rachel despite the flaws and vice versa. They were best friends, and they both knew that.

"So, what went down with Peyton anyway? How was the talk?" asked Rachel curiously. Brooke couldn't help but laugh slightly as she thought about her conversation with Peyton.

"I don't know," answered Brooke, "She wasn't even that upset about her break up with Lucas. She was more worried about him being heartbroken."

"Ha!" Rachel burst out laughing, "If she only knew."

"She obviously cares for him," Brooke went on, "And probably still loves him…"

"Oh, don't start with the pity party now," Rachel warned her.

"I'm not. Anyways, she's seeing some guy, Julian. She says they're just friends, but I know it's more than that." Rachel widened her eyes in surprise. She never thought Peyton would be so quick to rebound. "Yeah, it gets better. She kept going on about how she missed Jake," continued Brooke, "I mean, after everything she put me through just to be with Lucas, she has the nerve to reject him, because she misses Jake! Can you believe that?"

"Sorry, who's Jake?" wondered Rachel.

"I forgot you missed that chapter," realized Brooke, "He went to high school with us, but he moved away before you got there. Peyton dated him, and she clearly still has feelings for him too."

"What a fucking whore," stated Rachel with a laugh. Brooke gave her one of those 'I can't believe you just said that' looks, and Rachel became serious again. "I'm serious, Peyton is a fucking whore. Come on, Lucas, Julian, and Jake? She can't have them all."

"I know, it's ridiculous," Brooke found herself agreeing with the red head.

Brooke looked up and Rachel turned around as Brooke's assistant, Millicent, opened the door. Brooke waved her inside, and Millicent closed the door behind her as she entered.

"Sorry to interrupt," she apologized.

"Oh, no worries," said Rachel, "I owe you for all those times I got high with the other models in the bathroom, and you watched the door for us before shows. Good times."

Millicent swallowed uncomfortably at the memories.

"She's kidding," laughed Brooke relieving the assistant of her uneasiness, "Oh, Millie, thanks again for taking Peyton to the airport yesterday."

"It was no problem at all," Mille chimed, "I have your mail, and there is a Lucas Scott on line two."

Brooke took her mail from Millie, and Rachel raised her eyebrow at Brooke gesturing to the phone on her desk.

"Come on, Huxtable, I think it's time for us to go," smirked Rachel heading to the door.

Millicent and Rachel both waved goodbye to Brooke as she answered the phone.

"Hi, Boyfriend," smiled Brooke into the phone.

This was definitely what she wanted, and even if it was just for the moment, this was what being happy felt like.

**A/N: Okay, there it is! I hope you liked the Brucas. Please review and let me know what you think of the chapter. I really hope to get more reviews this time. Thanks for reading! :)**


	7. While We Still Can

**Hey guys! Thanks so much for the feedback on the last chapter. This chapter is pretty short, so kind of another filler. BIG NEWS - next chapter will be a two year time jump, so this story is taking a turn! :) I will also be doing a flashback chapter after that one to show what happened during the two year time jump. I'm just trying something new, and I'm just writing this story as I go, nothing is really planned or set in stone, so I hope it works out. Let me know what you think of this chapter btw! :)**

**Review Shout Outs:**

**KKMayfield - **Yes, I am most definitely bringing the Naley clan into the story along with a return to Tree Hill! They will be in the next chapter, so stay tuned :)

**craxygirl54 - **Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked the chapter =D There is plenty more drama to come, so don't get too comfortable with their newfound happiness ;)

**forever-alwaysB-Davis - **Thanks for reading! I will definitely consider your suggestion about Jake and Peyton, really like that idea. :)

**BL4Ever - **Thanks! It was time for Brooke to do something for herself for a change!

**dianehermans - **Yup, Millie is one of my favorites, so I love bringing her into the story whenever I can.

**SoapGirl21 - **Thank you! I thought it was important to show a change in Lucas and not just Brooke :D

**ciaranoelle - **Thanks for reviewing!

**Tess-IV - **I love your reviews! Thank you so so much, and you explained yourself fine!

**rockdragon293 - **Thanks for the comment!

**xXalienatedXx - **Another lovely review! Thanks for the feedback and encouragement!

**Always Brucas - **I'm really glad you like the story! Keep reading please!

**While We Still Can**

Lucas sat behind Lindsey's desk in her office as he waited for her to return with a finished copy of his novel. This was their last meeting before he would have to leave New York, and that meant leaving Brooke too. He wasn't going to Tree Hill yet, though, he had an eight week book tour first. Lucas was anxious and excited about it, but he was also worried about his relationship.

"You're sitting in my chair," said Lindsey from the doorway.

"Sorry," returned Lucas moving to the other side of her desk.

Lindsey sat across from Lucas, and handed him a finished copy of _**An Unkindness of Ravens**_. He was literally at a loss for words as he held the finished copy in his hands; this was his masterpiece.

"This is amazing," he managed to say after admiring his work. Lindsey smiled at his reaction.

"Okay, we've finished the schedule for the book tour and…" she began. Lucas instantly interrupted before she could continue.

"Are you sure that we're ready?" asked Lucas. He knew he was stalling, but he didn't know what else to do. "I mean maybe we should go through the book again and review the schedule just to…"

"Lucas, the book is done," sighed Lindsey, fully aware of what he was doing, "We've been putting this off for too long." Lucas nodded as he glanced away from her disappointedly. "You haven't told her yet, have you?" she asked, "Brooke?"

"How did you…" he didn't even finish his question before she answered. Lucas had no idea that Lindsey knew about Brooke, and he was very curious as to how she knew.

"At our first meeting, I asked about the Lucas and Brooke in the book, because I was rooting for them," she stated, "You said you would let me know, and I just assumed that was the reason you've been putting the tour off…so you could stay in New York longer to be with her."

Lucas looked at her surprised. "You're good," he laughed. He hoped to change the subject, but she wouldn't have it. "So, you really haven't told her?" she questioned. He shook his head in reply.

"It's an eight week book tour, and you're telling me that you haven't even told your girlfriend about it?" asked Lindsey in disbelief.

"I know it sounds bad, but we're in such a good place right now," he argued, "I don't want to ruin it."

"Luke, I'd like to think that I'm your friend as well as your editor," said Lindsey. Lucas gave her a confused look, wondering where this was going. She returned his gaze with a look of sympathy as she continued. Lucas leaned forward to hear what she had to say. "And as your friend, I am going to give you some much needed advice. Tell her before you really fuck things up."

Lucas leaned back in his seat again. "I'm going to tell her," said Lucas. Lindsey raised her eyebrow at him, not believing a word of it. "I am," he said again with more emphasis, "Why do you care so much about my relationship with Brooke anyway?"

"Maybe I'm still rooting for them," she smiled referring to her earlier comment.

"Thank you, Lindsey," he returned softly.

Lucas was thankful to have Lindsey as his editor. In the beginning, he thought she just wanted to make money off of him and change everything about the book. Nevertheless, as he continued to work with her, he realized that she seemed to actually care about the story and the characters themselves. He stopped in the doorway on his way out and looked back at her.

"Oh, and I do think of you as a friend," he acknowledged, "A pretty damn good one."

"Good to know," she laughed.

With that, Lucas left to go back to his hotel. He was meeting Brooke for dinner that night, and he knew he would have to tell her about the tour. He only hoped that nothing between them would change after he left.

* * *

Brooke finished organizing some sketches on her desk as she waited for Rachel in her office. Brooke had officially asked Rachel to live with her, because of Rachel's money issues. She had quit her job as a bartender, so modeling for Clothes Over Bro's was her only source of income. Rachel insisted that she would be fine, but Brooke wouldn't have it any other way. Brooke's cell phone rang, and she smiled as she looked at the caller ID.

"Tutor Mom!" exclaimed Brooke answering the call.

"_Tigger!" Haley beamed excitedly. She hadn't expected Brooke to answer, because she was always so busy. They'd only kept in touch through emails here and there over the past two years, but they had remained the best of friends. "Oh my God! How are you? How's New York?"_

"I'm great," she answered cheerfully, "New York is…really amazing. I'm working a lot, but I love it here."

"_Yeah, that's what Lucas told me when he called last night," said Haley knowingly._

"Um…what else did Lucas say exactly?" questioned Brooke fully aware that Haley knew about them.

"_Hm…let's see…something about the two of you back together!" Haley exclaimed._

"Do you hate me?" Brooke asked hesitantly. Haley seemed excited, but Brooke was afraid that Haley might judge her for being with Lucas so soon after his break up with Peyton.

"_Are you kidding?" returned Haley in disbelief. She could never hate Brooke. Sure, Brooke and Lucas getting back together was pretty out of the blue, but nothing about their relationship was ever traditional. That's what made them so special. "I'm happy for you, Brooke! Both of you. You know that I've been on Team Brooke for years."_

"Thanks, Haley," said Brooke relieved. She couldn't help but laugh at that last bit.

"_I can't believe we have to talk about this over the phone," complained Haley, "You need to come visit."_

"I will soon," smiled Brooke. She couldn't believe how much she missed Haley. Now that she was actually talking to her, she missed home more than anything.

"_The timing kind of sucks though…for you and Luke," added Haley._

"Because of Peyton…" she assumed.

"_No, I meant because of his book tour," said Haley. She noticed Brooke's silence on the other end of the line, and realized that Lucas must not have told her. "Which Lucas clearly hasn't told you about yet…shit, I'm sorry, Brooke," she rambled on apologetically, "I shouldn't have…"_

"It's okay," Brooke cut her off. She held her hand up at Rachel who had just entered her office. "Can I call you back later?"

"_Yeah, that's fine," Haley said quickly._

"I miss you," sighed Brooke.

"_I miss you too. We'll talk later," said Haley._

They said their goodbyes, and Brooke stared at her phone for a few seconds before acknowledging Rachel. The red head looked at her friend curiously knowing full well that something was wrong.

"What's wrong, Brookie?" asked Rachel with a sigh.

"Lucas is leaving," announced Brooke, "He has a book tour."

"Well, I'm pretty sure that's what people do when they write a book," she objected indifferently.

"Yeah, but he didn't even tell me," the brunette argued, "I heard it from Haley."

Brooke knew she sounded angry, but she really wasn't all that angry. She knew Lucas wouldn't stay in New York forever, but she hoped that maybe he would stay for a while.

"I'm sure he was going to tell you, Brooke. Relax; I mean, he probably just didn't want to ruin things or hurt you," assured Rachel trying to cheer her up.

"Too late…" muttered Brooke looking away from her friend.

She hated to admit it, but she was a little bit hurt. Not that Lucas was leaving, but that he couldn't even tell her about it. That had always been their problem in high, lack of communication and opening up to one other. It really felt like history was repeating itself.

* * *

Lucas stared down at his watch…again. Brooke was late. This usually wouldn't bother him, because he knew how long she took to get ready. For some reason, he felt different this time; worried. He was sitting at a table at Mario's Italiano; where they had gone on their date that brought them back together. Just as he was about to call Brooke, his phone rang. It wasn't the girl he hoped was calling though, not that he didn't love Haley.

"Hey, Hales," Lucas sighed as he answered the phone.

"_Luke, don't hate me, but I was talking to Brooke earlier, and I accidentally mentioned the book tour. It just kind of came out, and I honestly thought she knew," Haley rambled apologetically._

"Shit," muttered Lucas.

That explained why Brooke was late. Correction; she wasn't going to show up at all.

"_I'm sorry," she added._

"It's okay…I should have told her by now," said Lucas.

"_Yeah, no kidding," shot Haley, "God, I can't believe you waited this long! What were you thinking?"_

"You don't need to lecture me; I know I screwed up, but I'm going to fix it," he reassured, "I'll let you know how things go."

"_Good luck. Oh, before you go, are you coming home after the tour?" asked Haley._

Lucas couldn't help but notice a hint of desperation in Haley's voice. She sounded…overwhelmed. He knew Nathan and Haley were probably struggling without him there to help, which also caused him to think about his mom and Lily.

"Yeah, I'll be home," he finally answered before saying goodbye.

Lucas ran out of the restaurant and took the first cab he saw to Brooke's Manhattan penthouse. He tried to think of what he was going to say when he got there, but he realized it was pointless to conjure up some speech. All he had to do was tell her the truth from his heart.

Just as Lucas reached the door, it swung open revealing the feisty red head.

"You have some serious apologizing to do," she smirked.

"How pissed is she?" he asked apprehensively.

"Actually she's not that pissed. I mean, let's be honest, you both knew this was coming," replied Rachel, "She's just upset that you didn't tell her." Lucas rubbed his neck uneasily. "Anyways, good luck," she added brushing past him.

Lucas walked inside closing the door behind him and immediately locked eyes with Brooke, who was coming out of her bedroom.

"If you're here to tell me that you're leaving to go on your book tour," Brooke grumbled, "Then you can save your breath. Haley already spilled your little secret."

Brooke settled herself on the couch as Lucas made his way over to join her.

"It wasn't a secret, Brooke," he sighed as he sat down next to her. She rolled her eyes slightly annoyed that he was denying the fact that he was keeping it from her. "It wasn't," he reassured her, "I was going to tell you."

"I'm sure," Brooke muttered under her breath sarcastically. Lucas saw the betrayal in her eyes as she finally looked up to meet his own remorseful eyes. "When exactly were you planning on telling me, Lucas? The day before you leave?" she questioned. Lucas' heart sank as he looked away. "Oh my God, you're leaving tomorrow," she realized.

"I'm sorry; I should've told you," Lucas apologized. He scooted closer to her, and gently caressed her cheek, forcing her to meet his eyes. "I've been avoiding it, because everything with us is so perfect right now. I don't want this to change, you know? I don't want to ruin what we have," he said.

"It's okay," Brooke finally said. She put her hand atop his and took a deep breath. "I can't really blame you. I knew you would have to leave; I was just avoiding it too," she admitted, "How long is the tour?"

"Eight weeks." Lucas paused as he saw further disappointment wash over his girlfriend's pretty face. He wished there was something he could do to make this better. "Week seven is New York City," he added trying to cheer her up.

"I'm guessing Los Angeles is on the schedule too, right?" asked Brooke. It was more of a statement than it was a question, and they both knew she was referring to Peyton the second she brought it up. She tried to fight back the worry and insecurity that was coming to the surface when Lucas told her that he was going to Los Angeles for the second week of his book tour. "You know she's going to be there," the brunette recognized.

Lucas didn't want this to turn into a discussion about Peyton. He was tired of Peyton controlling his relationships. "Or maybe I don't matter to her anymore, just like she doesn't matter to me, and she won't be there," he returned.

"I highly doubt that," murmured Brooke. Lucas opened his arms allowing Brooke to lean into him. She cuddled into him closely, and Lucas gently kissed her temple. "I guess we should get used to it, right?" she asked. Lucas looked at her not knowing what she meant. "Long distance. You're going back home after the tour, aren't you?"

Lucas just nodded, aware that he was only disappointing her even more. "Add that to the list of things we've been avoiding," she muttered.

"I wish I could stay in New York, but…"

"Lucas, it's okay, you don't need to explain," she interrupted him; "Tree Hill is home. You have to go back. I mean, you have college and your assistant coaching job, plus there's Nathan, Haley, Jamie, Lily, and your mom that you need to be there for."

"Yeah, but you're not there," he returned softly.

"Let's not talk about this anymore," said Brooke. Lucas brought his lips down to meet hers as they shared an angelic kiss. Brooke knew this discussion could go on forever. They could find plenty of reasons for Lucas to stay and plenty of reasons for him to go, but the truth was that it wouldn't change anything. She just wanted to be with him, while she still could.

**A/N: Thank you for reading! Like I said, I'm experimenting with a two year time jump (what do you think about that?), so I haven't really planned out anything. I don't want to post the next chapter until I'm really sure I want to jump ahead.**


	8. Author's Note 1

**Author's Note**

**Hey, readers! I just wanted to make a few clarifications before I post the next chapter, because some of you have concerns about a few "inconsistencies" in my story.**

**First, let me point out that this is an AU Brucas story, Therefore, obviously this isn't what happened in the show, so I don't have to do everything the way it was portrayed in the show by Mark Schwann.**

**Second, I just remembered that in the show Lucas actually left LA and went to see Brooke in NY ONE YEAR after season 4, not TWO YEARS. But for this story, I'm just going to say that it happened TWO YEARS after season 4.**

**Third, an anonymous reviewer said that Lucas is technically supposed to be at Duke University with Haley and Nathan, not in Tree Hill. In regards to this, anyone who knows the show should know that Nathan did not go to Duke, because of the point shaving incident. He went to a small college in Tree Hill, where Whitey coached and Lucas was the assistant coach. Lucas and Haley were also attending this same college. Nathan then went on to the University of Maryland. Nobody ever went to Duke as far as I remember.**

**Also, in regards to Lucas being a head coach and not an assistant coach anymore at the college. This is true, but like I said before, AU...My story. Nothing has to be like it was in the show; otherwise Brucas wouldn't even be together. (Am I right?)**

**Sorry if I sound like a bitch LOL, that's not my intention. I just really wanted to clear all this up, and if there is ever any confusion, then please do not hesitate to ask about anything at all!**

**Thanks so much! I'll post the next chapter tomorrow!**


	9. Need You Now

**Hey Guys! Sorry for the delay, but here is the next chapter! This pretty much covers Lucas' book tour, and lets you know where the Brucas relationship is before the two year time jump, which I will be doing in the following chapter. Don't worry, there will be flashbacks of important stuff during the two years. Let me know what you think of this chapter, and I love any feedback! Thanks Enjoy!**

**Also, special thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter: xXalienatedXx, Brucas7, BL4EVER, dianehermans, fireangel08, anon, apocalyps24, and craxygirl54!**

**Need You Now**

_**Week One**_

Lucas strolled into his hotel room after his second book signing in Portland, Oregon. He tiredly collapsed onto the bed thinking about the successful day he'd had. There was a great turn out, and he was surprised by how many compliments he had received from readers. Lucas and Lindsey had gone to dinner after leaving the bookstore, where they talked about what to expect for the rest of the tour. Lucas was glad that he had someone like Lindsey by his side, but there was one girl he couldn't stop thinking about. He smiled as his phone rang; already knowing who it was without looking.

"Hey, Pretty Girl," he answered.

"_Hey, Boyfriend," Brooke chirped, "You sound tired."_

"Yeah, it was a long day. The book signing went really well, though. Unless you count the part where a thirteen year old girl yelled at me for screwing things up with you so many times," said Lucas. He heard Brooke laugh at the comment, but she suddenly became quiet.

"_I finished reading it," she finally said. _Brooke had never completely read Lucas' novel until now. He had just showed her a few excerpts here and there. She began to read from the copy she had in front of her._ "'__**Suddenly, it was as if the roar of the crowd, the echo of the final buzzer, the cheers of my teammates were all sounding from a thousand miles away. And what remained in that bizarre, muffled silence was only Brooke, the girl whose spirit and strength and beauty had changed my life. At that moment, my triumph was not a state championship, but simple clarity. The realization that we had always been meant for each other and every instinct to the contrary had simply been a denial of the following truth. I was now, and would always be, in love with **__**Brooke**__** Davis.**_'"

There was silence on both ends of the line. Lucas couldn't help but smile as she recited the words he wrote about her.

"_We should have been together," admitted Brooke, "That night…I pushed you towards Peyton, but I should've told you how I felt then."_

"Brooke, its okay," he reassured her, "We're together now. We made it, and that's all that matters."

"_I know," she sighed, "It's just hard to think about all the time we wasted. All the time we spent lying to ourselves, because we thought we were doing what was best by letting go. God, if I hadn't of broken up with you after what Peyton said…" _Brooke immediately stopped realizing what had just come out of her mouth.

"What do you mean 'what Peyton said?'" asked Lucas. He had never known the real reason why Brooke had broken up with him senior year. It had been haunting him ever since.

"_It doesn't matter," she replied hoping he would just forget about it._

"It does matter," he returned softly urging her to continue, "To this day, I still have no clue as to why you broke up with me. I deserve the truth. What happened?"

Brooke was quiet as Lucas patiently awaited her answer. She sighed, ultimately deciding that she didn't need to protect Peyton anymore, and she didn't want to. _"The night of Nathan and Haley's rehearsal dinner...Peyton told me she had feelings for you," Brooke confessed._

Lucas swallowed and clenched his fist. It all made sense to him now. Peyton broke them up once again.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he questioned with a hint of anger in his voice.

"_It wouldn't have made a difference," she returned, clearly upset that they were arguing about this now._

"Screw that, Brooke. You should have told me. Of course it would have made a difference," he refuted, unable to hide his anger, "If I had known, then I would've…"

"_You would've what?" she exclaimed. _Her emotions were getting the best of her, and she felt like she was reliving it all over again. _"I asked you, at the wedding, to stay away from her, and you didn't. It was always about her, Lucas…always," she cried. _Brooke was glad that he couldn't see her, because she couldn't hold back the tears that were streaming down her face.

Lucas could hear her crying, and it made his heart melt. He wished he could be with her and just hold her. Hearing her cry was painful. She was right, though. He remembered it clearly. Brooke was upset at the wedding, and she had warned him to stay away from Peyton. As usually, he had let his sympathy for Peyton get the best of him. That was childish of him, and like he had sworn before, he was done.

"I'm sorry," he said honestly, "I should've listened to you without question. I always felt sorry for Peyton, when I should have been putting you first. I know that now. I love you, Brooke, and it's always been you."

"_I hate talking about the past," admitted Brooke, "It's really hard."_

"I know," Lucas agreed, "But we're stronger because of it. There is so much of our history that was left unsaid. It's fucked up and complicated, but nothing can separate us now."

"_Nothing, except geography," she smiled in return, "I miss you."_

"I miss you too," he grinned, "I should let you get some sleep."

"_I'm fine," she grinned back, "I'd rather talk to you all night."_

_**Week Two**_

Lucas took a deep breath as he looked outside of the bookstore he was at in Los Angeles. Peyton had showed up, just like Brooke predicted she would. He agreed to meet her for coffee after his signing, and there she was waiting outside. They walked up the street towards a local café in silence. To say that it was awkward would be an understatement. Peyton felt guilty for saying no, and Lucas felt…mostly angry. They sat at a table outside, both waiting for the other to say something.

"Lucas, I never meant to hurt you. It's just…" began Peyton.

"Hold on, you think I'm hurt?" he questioned in disbelief. There was no way Lucas was going to give Peyton the satisfaction of believing that she had actually hurt him. He knew he sounded angry, but that's exactly what he was…angry. He was fucking livid. Ever since Brooke told him the truth about why she broke up with him two years ago, he'd wanted to confront Peyton about it, and this was the perfect opportunity. No sympathy allowed.

Peyton was confused by his reaction. He seemed so irritated, and she didn't know why.

"Um…I rejected your proposal," said Peyton, she too sounded annoyed, "Scratch that, I didn't even let you finish proposing to me. Then, I woke up, and you were nowhere to be found. You were clearly heartbroken."

"Peyton, trust me when I say this," Lucas said emphasizing every word, "I am not heartbroken, and I'm not hurt. I am relieved; I'm happy."

"What are you saying?" she asked. She couldn't help but feel slightly hurt by his response.

"I'm saying that what happened was the best thing for both of us, and we both know that. We're not meant to be together, never were," he finished.

She realized that he was intentionally trying to hurt her. She couldn't put her finger on why though, because obviously this wasn't about her rejecting him. Although he was being harsh about it, she agreed with what he was saying. After her visit with Brooke, it didn't take long for Peyton to come to terms with the fact that she and Lucas weren't in love.

"I completely agree with you," said Peyton. Lucas seemed surprised by her reply, so she explained further, deciding that there was no harm in being honest. "It just didn't feel right. That whole night, I was thinking about Jake."

"You really are a selfish bitch," he found himself saying. He couldn't believe that after everything, she never even really wanted him, she wanted Jake. "You ruined my relationship with Brooke, and you never even gave a shit about me."

"Okay, now I have no idea what you're talking about. I thought we were on the same page here, and where does Brooke come into this?" questioned Peyton.

"Don't be so damn naïve;" refuted Lucas, "You know what I'm talking about. You lied to me. Two years ago, when Brooke dumped me, you said you didn't have a clue as to why she did it, but you knew exactly why." He watched as Peyton suddenly realized what he was talking about.

"I was just being honest with her," sighed Peyton.

"You knew she would break up with me, didn't you?" he wondered, "That's why you told her that you had feelings for me."

"Of course I knew," she admitted, "God, Lucas, I wanted you. I didn't care what I had to do."

"You didn't care about who you hurt in the process either. Otherwise, you would have been honest with me." Lucas finally saw Peyton for who she really was. She wasn't the girl he thought she was. He just wished he had realized that sooner, but there was no going back.

"I'm sorry. You have no idea what guilt I carry with me every single day. After I read your book, I realized the mistakes I'd made, but it takes two." Lucas couldn't believe she had the nerve to say anything about him. Of course, he knew that he had a part in it. "I'm sorry for ruining any chance you and Brooke had."

"Brooke and I are together, and we're happy," he corrected her.

Peyton widened her eyes in surprise. She definitely wasn't expecting that. "That's good; I'm happy for you both," she replied. Lucas rolled his eyes not believing a word of it. "Can't we just agree that everything happened the way it was supposed to and move on?" she pleaded.

"Fine," grumbled Lucas.

"Fine? That's it?"

"Yeah, that's it," he shot back crossing his arms.

"Whatever, I have to go meet Julian." Peyton stood up and turned to walk away, but stopped at the sound of Lucas' voice.

"Are you gonna wait until he proposes to tell him you're in love with Jake too?" He knew it was a low blow, but she deserved it.

"Fuck you, Luke," muttered Peyton before turning away and leaving. This time, she didn't look back, not once.

_**Week Three**_

Rachel skipped into the living room, where she found Brooke curled up on the couch staring at her cell phone.

"What's up hoe?"

"Peyton just left me a really weird voice mail," replied Brooke.

"How weird?" asked Rachel sitting down next to Brooke.

Brooke put her phone on speaker and played the message for Rachel.

"_**Hey, Brooke. It's Peyton. I should be telling you this in person, but it's easier this way. I don't know who I am anymore, and I don't like the person I've become. I'm going to change that. I want to be the fearless artist that Lucas portrayed me as in his novel. I guess the real reason I'm calling is because I want to apologize. I'm sorry for never seeing you for who you really are. I'm sorry for coming in between you and Lucas so many times. I've always been too selfish to notice that my actions were negatively impacting the people I considered my friends. I regret all of the mistakes I've made, and I regret not valuing our friendship. There is so much that I wish I could take back, but all I can do is try to be a better person. You are the greatest friend anyone could ever ask for. I understand if you hate me…even though I know you could never really hate anyone, even me. I need to do some soul searching, so you probably won't hear from me for awhile. Please tell Lucas how sorry I am for everything I've done. I really am happy for you both. Yes, I know that you're together, and I don't blame you for not telling me. You truly deserve happiness together. I love you, B. Davis."**_

"Wow, that was unexpected," Rachel commented, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm great," smiled Brooke, "Relieved even." That was the truth. Brooke finally felt like Peyton was no longer an issue when it came to her relationship with Lucas. She could finally move on.

"Lucas really roughed her ass up," smirked Rachel.

"He did say he was a little harsh," laughed Brooke.

"He must have been more than a little harsh to get that apology out of her," the red head grinned, "That's probably the most selfless thing she's ever done, and that's not saying much."

"I just hope she finds what she's looking for," returned Brooke with a half smile.

Brooke reached for her sketch pad on the coffee table to start working on a few ideas she had. Rachel put her hand on Brooke's arm to stop her, receiving a puzzled look for the brunette.

"Um…before you start, there's something I need to talk to you about," said Rachel seriously. Brooke realized that Rachel seemed worried, so she knew this really was important. She set her sketch pad aside focusing all her attention on Rachel letting her continue. "I couldn't help but notice the unopened box of condoms in the drawer of your night stand."

"Okay…and?"

"Oh, come on. You know what I'm trying to say," she continued. Brooke raised her eyebrow as if she knew nothing. "Okay, fine. When Lucas was here, were you two safe? I mean, you always used protection, right?"

"Not always…" muttered Brooke, "But I'm on the pill." She suddenly knew why Rachel seemed so concerned.

"We're usually on the same cycle. Last week, I asked you for a tampon, but you weren't…"

"I'm not pregnant," Brooke immediately interrupted, "I'm just late, and that's all. I've been stressed."

"Just promise me you'll take a test to be sure," said Rachel.

"I promise," agreed Brooke nervously.

"I would think that the two of you would be more careful," smirked Rachel.

"We're not in high school anymore, Rach," argued Brooke, "Lucas and I are two consenting adults in a serious relationship. He knows I'm on the pill, and we're mature enough to make the decision about whether or not we use a fucking condom."

"Fine, but if you are preggers, I call god mom," she grinned. Brooke half smiled at the comment, but she suddenly felt nervous.

The next day, Brooke took the pregnancy, and the result was negative. She felt both relieved and disappointed at the same. It wouldn't be the worst thing if she had been pregnant, because she did want a family with Lucas someday. However, it also wouldn't be the best thing, considering they had just gotten back together, and they were long distance.

_**Week Four**_

Brooke wrapped a towel around herself as she got out of the shower. She walked into the kitchen where she saw a note from Rachel on the fridge. _**Gone to Tenjune w/ some of the models, don't wait up. **_Brooke sighed, glad to finally have a night to herself, and she knew exactly what she wanted to do.

She poured herself a glass of red wine, grabbed her latest issue of Cosmopolitan, and went straight for her bedroom. She fixed her pillows against the headboard of her bed and sat up, leaning comfortable against her pillows with her legs stretched out. Brooke sipped her wine as she read an article about sex positions. She was extremely turned on as she thought about the last time she and Lucas were intimate. Brooke tossed the magazine aside and dialed his number.

"_Hey Cheery," Lucas beamed answering the call._

"Hey Broody," Brooke returned, "How's Phoenix?"

"_Very hot. Kind of like you," smirked Lucas. _Brooke grinned at the comment. He was definitely in the mood for what she had planned. _"What are you up to?" he asked._

"Oh, nothing really, relaxing in bed thinking about you. I wish you were lying here with me," smiled Brooke. She knew that would get him going. "I just took a long…hot…shower," she added emphasizing those last three words.

"_Now I really wish I was there," Lucas swallowed._ He became aroused as he imagined being with her in the shower…running his hands along her body…massaging her perfect breasts as the water streamed down…

Brooke heard him groan, which only made her want him even more. She threw off her towel, as Lucas told her that he too was removing his clothing.

"_I want you so bad, baby. Are you wet?" he demanded knowingly._

Brooke ran a hand down her body, until she reached her most heated core. She loved the urgency and desperation in Lucas' voice as he desired to know what she was doing to herself. Brooke plunged two of her fingers into her wetness and moaned at the satisfaction.

"I'm so wet…" she murmured. She began to rub circles on her bud with her thumb, while moving her fingers in and out of her slick folds. "Oh…God…fuck me, Lucas…" she muttered into the phone.

Her raspy voice and sexy moans were enough to get him going. Lucas gripped his hardened cock and began to pump his hand up and down.

"_I'm fucking you so damn hard," he said, the excitement evident in his voice._

Lucas groaned as his release hit him, thoughts of Brooke overwhelming him. He continued saying everything that was on his mind, and moments later Brooke was falling over the edge.

"_God, I miss you, Brooke," sighed Lucas._

"I miss you too, Boyfriend. I can't wait for you to get here."

"_I'm still thinking about what I would do to you, if I could have you right now," he smirked._

"Me too," she added, "There are so many positions we have yet to try."

"_You're reading Cosmopolitan, aren't you?" _He heard her laugh and knew the answer was yes. _"Alright, tell me a few of them."_

"Sorry, you'll have to wait and see," she smirked.

"_That's just not fair," he groaned._

"Trust me, you'll love it," she replied. Brooke yawned, and Lucas then insisted that she get some sleep. He kept forgetting about the time differences. "I love you, Lucas."

"_I love you too, pretty girl. Good night."_

_**Week Six**_

Lucas and Lindsey both browsed the menus to decide what they were having for breakfast at French Cafe in Omaha, Nebraska. Lindsey eyed Lucas curiously; he seemed very distracted, and he was.

"I think I'm gonna have Danish crepes. How about you?" she asked putting her menu aside. Lucas didn't respond; he just stared blankly at his menu. She said his name a few times to get his attention, and he finally acknowledged her.

"Huh?"

"I was just asking what you're going to have," Lindsey clarified.

"Oh, umm…just French toast," he answered.

"Lucas, Are you okay?" she asked concerned.

"Yeah, I just have a lot on my mind," said Lucas. Lindsey raised an eyebrow, already knowing exactly what he meant, or rather who he meant. "Brooke and I haven't talked in a couple days, and we usually talk every night."

"That's long distance for you," sighed Lindsey, "Everything works out great for awhile, and then it gets…well harder."

"I take it you know from experience," muttered Lucas.

"I was in a long distance relationship for awhile. He lives in Florida. Everything was perfect…until we broke up," she shared. Lucas eyed her with a look of curiosity and understanding. "Neither of us were committed enough to keep the relationship strong," she continued, "We were both too consumed with work, instead of focusing on each other."

"That's what I'm worried about," said Lucas honestly. He wasn't worried about his commitment to Brooke, or Brooke's commitment to him. However, he was worried that their careers might create an obstacle. Between his novel and her company, they were both living hectic lives.

"Well, we'll be in New York soon," she reassured him, "You and Brooke are going to be fine; I'm sure of it." Lucas smiled at the comment in thanks, and Lindsey nodded in return. "One good thing about long distance relationships is the reunion sex every time you see each other."

"Okay, conversation over," laughed Lucas.

"I'm serious!" Lindsey exclaimed, "Plus, the phone sex always helps." Lucas shook his head at the remark. "Am I embarrassing you?" she questioned jokingly.

"This isn't exactly breakfast conversation," he smirked. She threw her hands up letting him know that she was done with that topic. The waitress came by shortly after with their drinks and took their orders. "You know, you would fit in great in Tree Hill," Lucas found himself saying.

"You think so?" she wondered. Lucas nodded. "I wish I could've grown up in a small town like Tree Hill. You and your friends seem so close. It's not that easy to make friends that you can trust in New York."

"Well, if you ever get sick of New York, then you're welcome in Tree Hill," he smiled.

"I'll be sure to remember that," she grinned.

_**Week Seven**_

Lucas signed yet another copy of his novel and handed it to the next person in line. He took a picture with two girls who couldn't stop talking about how much they loved the character Brooke, which made him small. The book signing was almost over, and Lucas still didn't see Brooke anywhere in the crowd of New York natives. The next girl in line then handed him a book to sign.

"What's your name?" Lucas asked as he prepared to sign the book.

"Oh, it's actually for my boss. Well, I mean, she's my friend too," the dark haired girl rambled. Lucas laughed as she continued. "She said that you should make it out to your pretty girl," the girl in glasses finished. Lucas immediately paused as he heard what she said, and a smile spread across his face.

"Brooke sent you?" he grinned, although he wished that she had been there herself.

"That would be correct. I'm Millicent, Brooke's assistant."

"Yeah, she's told me a lot about you," replied Lucas, "I take it Brooke's not coming."

"She has a meeting," sighed Millie. She noticed how disappointed he seemed, but she knew exactly what would cheer him up. "Just be at her place around seven, and she'll make it up to you," she smiled.

He muttered a thank you to Millicent before she took off. An hour later, he was finally finished with his first book signing in New York. He checked his phone; it was 6:25PM, so he didn't have time to get changed into something nicer before taking a cab to Manhattan.

Lucas couldn't believe how nervous he was to see Brooke. The door was open, so he walked inside hoping to surprise her; he was completely oblivious that he was the one in for a surprise. The place was completely dark.

"Brooke?" he called. He didn't hear her or see her. He took off his shoes at the doorway just when the light in the living area was flipped on, and Lucas' eyes widened at the beautiful woman standing before him. "Wow…" he swallowed admiring her appearance. She wore a matching royal blue strapless bra and thong, and her hair was down and wavy. He instantly noticed that her tattoo was visible, which stimulated him even more.

"Surprise," she smiled. Brooke bit her bottom lip nervously, very aware that Lucas was devouring her with his eyes. "What do you think?" she asked as they both made their way closer to each other.

"I think…you look…very sexy," he said, the arousal evident in his voice. They were now inches apart, and Lucas placed his hands on her hips drawing her body into his.

"Right answer," she managed to say in a raspy whisper.

The anticipation was too much, and they were both unable to fight it any longer as they brought their lips together in a heated kiss. Brooke instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck needing to feel his body against hers. Their rhythm was slow and passionate at first, but their need for each other soon overpowered them. Brooke made the first move as she slipped her tongue past Lucas' parted lips. Lucas returned the favor, and their tongues explored each other's mouths, as if it were for the first time. Brooke ran her hands down his torso to the hem of his shirt. Lucas pulled away for a split second and raised his arms over his head as she quickly discarded the shirt.

Lucas then attached his lips to her neck as he kissed his way down to her collar bone. He bit down gently to make his mark on her skin, receiving an approving moan. He clearly hadn't shaven in weeks, and she loved the feeling of his stubble tickling her skin. As much as they both wanted to savor every kiss and touch, six and a half weeks of want, frustration, and desire were overwhelming their minds and bodies, Lucas especially. Brooke hurriedly unfastened and unzipped Lucas' jeans, allowing him to step out of them as she pushed them down his waist.

He backed her up against the nearest wall and pressed his body harder against hers; allowing Brooke to feel just how much he wanted her. He literally ripped her bra off at record speed, causing Brooke to gasp in surprise. Lucas pushed his lips against hers in a steamy kiss and trailed his fingers down to her thong. He cast off the material, and slid his fingers into Brooke's slick folds.

"That feels good," she approved in breathy tone. Brooke loved the way Lucas was taking control, because she tended to take the wheel most of the time. Wanting to return the favor, Brooke pulled down Lucas' boxers to reveal him fully and began to stroke his hard on. He groaned at the feeling, and she knew he loved it just as much as she was enjoying the pleasure he was giving her. Lucas instantly grabbed Brooke's wrist to stop her actions. He wanted to show Brooke exactly how much he had missed her and needed her.

"Turn around," he commanded. His tone was aggressive just like his actions, and Brooke couldn't get enough of it. Maybe this long distance thing wouldn't be so bad if he was going to be like this whenever they saw each other. Brooke did as she was told, facing the wall with her back to him, anticipating his next move. He held her hips getting into position. She felt the tip of him at her opening, and she knew that he was teasing her.

"Lucas…please…" she begged in frustration. He smirked planting a soft kiss on her neck.

"Please what?" he questioned innocently. Brooke groaned in annoyance, but she had to admit that this was fucking hot. She loved this Lucas, but she hated being teased.

"Please fuck me, Luke. I want you inside of me," she pleaded.

Lucas smiled at her words, and that was all it took for him to enter her with his erection. Brooke moaned as her walls clenched around him, and he rapidly thrusted in and out. She couldn't believe the amount of penetration this position allowed for as he went deeper with each thrust.

"Harder…" she pleaded. Her tone was raspier than usual, because she was so out of breath; something Lucas found extremely sexy.

"God…Brooke…" he panted.

Lucas' thrusts became quicker and more forceful. He moved his hands to her breasts and gave them ample amount of attention as he continued thrusting in and out. Brooke didn't know how much longer she could hang on with the way he was pleasuring her. Lucas nearly came as Brooke screamed his name among other sexy noises, but he wanted her to reach her orgasm first, so he did everything in his power to hold out.

He then moved a hand from her breast, and he began rubbing her bud with his index finger. Lucas instantly felt Brooke react. The combination of him thrusting, massaging, and rubbing was just too much for her to handle. Her walls clenched around him even tighter, goose bumps filled her skin, her cheeks flushed pink, and she pressed her hands against the wall for stability as her orgasm sent waves throughout her entire body. With just a few more thrusts, Lucas' whole body tensed up as he reached his climax and spilled into her.

Lucas pulled out of her, and Brooke turned around to face him. She leaned into his chest as they both managed to catch their breaths.

"I take it you missed me," laughed Brooke looking up at him.

"Of course I missed you," he smiled. Brooke picked up her undergarments off the floor, and made her way to the bedroom. Lucas grabbed his clothes and followed behind her. "Getting dressed already?" he frowned.

"We have dinner reservations, Boyfriend," replied Brooke, "Now come join me in the shower, so we can get ready."

"Anything you say, Pretty Girl."


	10. Coming Home

_**Okay, beyond annoyed right now, because it has taken me three tries to post this chapter. The reason it took me so long to post this chapter is because I had like five different ideas for the time jump and when I finally decided on one and wrote the next three chapters, I decided that I didn't like it. I felt like it was too similar to season five of the actual show and I didn't want that, so without further ado...here's chapter Nine! Also, One BIG SHOUT OUT TO ALL REVIEWERS, because i'm too annoyed to write them individually haha: I LOVE YOU ALL, YOUR REVIEWS AND SUGGESTIONS KEEP ME GOING, THANKS FOR READING! :)**_

**Coming Home**

A lot had changed in two years. Change is usually a good thing, right? Some would beg to differ, because a modification of what one believes to be normal is never accepted with ease. However, life is about daily changes. Nothing stays the same forever, but what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves. Change is only accompanied by discomforts if we let our circumstances change us. Therefore, we must change our circumstances in order to achieve true happiness among this inevitable and unavoidable process.

She wasn't about to make that mistake. She stood in front of the floor to ceiling window in her Manhattan penthouse staring out at the place she called home. Contrary to what she forced herself to believe, this wasn't her home, and she wasn't happy. Happiness is in the heart, not the mind. She had never felt more alone in her entire life. Thank God, she had Rachel here, because the few times that Lucas came to visit weren't enough. She took out her phone and scrolled through the names in her cell phone before stopping at a friend. She sighed dialing the number and waited for an answer.

"Hey, it's Brooke," she said uneasily.

"_Brooke…hey," she smiled surprised to receive the call, considering they hadn't spoken in five months, "It's late there. Is everything okay?"_

"Everything's…fine," returned Brooke. She walked to her dining table and sat down gathering her earlier thoughts. "You know, tonight I went to a movie premiere with Nick Zano, and I couldn't have felt more out of place. My dreams are coming true, but I feel like I'm living someone else's life. That probably doesn't make any sense…" Brooke trailed off.

"_No, no, it makes all the sense in the world. I know exactly how you feel. Are you happy, Brooke?"_

"I'm trying to be," answered Brooke, "I should be happy. I have this amazing life. That should be enough."

"_I think it's only enough if you have someone to share it with," she argued, "Love is enough."_

Brooke wiped her tears and smiled at her friend's words. She knew exactly what she had to do, and she wasn't going to waste any time. She had love…it just wasn't in New York.

"Are you happy?" asked Brooke.

"_I wish I could say yes, but no…I'm not happy," she answered, "What happened to us? Four years ago, I thought I had it all. Hell, two years ago, I told myself that I would get everything together. I thought I would have my entire life figured out by now."_

"Yeah, I know what you mean," sighed Brooke, "Do you miss him?" Both knew exactly who she was referring to.

"_Everyday…but I never expected him to wait for me. Someday didn't come soon enough, and I don't know if it ever will for me." She noticed Brooke's silence on the other end and thought that she must be comparing that statement to herself. "You still have time, Brooke. Don't give up on him yet…and most importantly, don't give up on yourself. You can change things."_

"Thanks," replied the brunette, "You shouldn't give up so easily either. There's still time for someday."

"_Thank you, Brooke." She paused before speaking again. "I think we need to go home."_

"I was thinking the same thing, Peyton," she smiled.

* * *

Lucas walked out onto the river court in the dead of night. The moon was full, the stars were bright, and the court was dimly lit by the street lamps. He shoved his hands in his pockets, and admired the signatures on the court. The signatures he and his closest friends had placed there four short years ago. It seemed like it was yesterday; they were all standing there, vowing that nothing between them would ever change. That was far from the truth, because everything had changed.

His admiration for the signatures on the court soon turned into regret. Sometimes it felt like it was yesterday, but sometimes it felt like it was someone else's memory…like this wasn't his life. He could think of so many moments in his life, where he could have done something differently…something to change the outcome of the way his life was turning out. All of those moments involved her. Sure, they were together…he should be happy for that. They really weren't together though…she was in New York, and he was here.

* * *

Brooke tiredly lied down on her couch after getting back late from an event. Rachel tossed her purse aside, and watched as Brooke pulled out her cell phone.

"Have you talked to Lucas yet?" asked Rachel.

"I'm about to," replied Brooke.

_**Brooke opened the front door and called Rachel's name. She heard her reply from the bedroom. Brooke walked to the room and leaned against the doorway. Rachel had clearly just gone shopping. She was trying on a couple new shirts with hangers and empty bags thrown about the room.**_

"_**Oh, look what the dog dragged in," smirked Rachel.**_

"_**I'm pretty sure it's cat," Brooke corrected her. Rachel gave her a confused face. "The expression…it's 'look what the cat dragged in' dumbass," laughed Brooke.**_

"_**Whatever, whore," she grinned, "Your mom is a fucking bitch by the way." Brooke rolled her eyes but completely agreed with the comment. "She also cancelled my next photo shoot, which I was totally amped for!"**_

"_**Actually, that was me," said Brooke hesitantly, "And yes, there is a very good reason."**_

"_**Okay, let's hear it," she returned curiously.**_

"_**Wanna go to Tree Hill with me?" asked Brooke hopefully.**_

_**Rachel raised an eyebrow, clearly aware of Brooke's reasoning for wanting to go home. "Why are you so sentimental all of a sudden?"**_

"_**I've just had some time to think and reevaluate my life, and I need to go home," shrugged Brooke.**_

"_**Well, I've moved around a lot, but Tree Hill is the one place I consider home," sighed Rachel.**_

"_**Does that mean you'll come with me?"**_

"_**Sure, I could use a little vaca," smiled Rachel.**_

"_**Awesome; we leave in three days!" exclaimed Brooke excitedly.**_

"_**Whoa!" Rachel interrupted Brooke's excitement, "You booked the flight and cancelled my shoot before even asking me if I wanted to go?" Brooke nodded with gritted teeth. "Something I would do; I like it, Davis," smirked the red head. Brooke laughed at the comment. "Does he know that you're coming?"**_

"_**Nope, I think I want to surprise him, but I kind of want to tell him," Brooke smiled. She couldn't help but be excited.**_

"_**Good for you," said Rachel, "You were always telling Lucas to fight for you, so it's about time you start fighting for him too. I should know; you slapped me right after you told him to the first time."**_

"_**There's one more thing," said Brooke. Rachel raised an eyebrow for her to continue. "Peyton is coming too."**_

"_**Are you fucking joking?" asked Rachel, "That two faced bitch is leaving her big shot producer to go home."**_

"_**I don't know if they're breaking up, but she's coming," returned Brooke, "Is that okay?"**_

"_**Whatever; just don't expect me to be nice to her," Rachel warned her, "Don't give me that look either. I'm never going to like her, and I'm just looking out for you Brookie."**_

Brooke raised her eyebrows at her friend, and Rachel took the hint to leave the room. She took a deep breath before pressing her number one speed dial. She knew he was probably asleep, but this was important.

Lucas groaned and rolled over in bed as his phone began ringing. He half smiled when he saw that it was Brooke calling him.

"Hey, pretty girl," he answered with a tired yawn, "I wasn't expecting you to call."

"You never expect me to call," she sighed.

It had been nearly two years since Lucas completed his book tour and returned to Tree Hill, while Brooke remained in New York. They talked on the phone every day, and they visited each other as often as possible. As the months went on, everyday turned into once a week, and as often as possible turned into never, because they didn't have the time. Lucas was always messing around with ideas for his next novel, and Brooke was busier than ever with her company.

"Can you blame me?" asked Lucas. He didn't mean to sound upset, but he just missed her so damn much.

She wanted to call him earlier in the week, but she didn't have the courage to do it, until now. He sounded upset with her, so she was glad that she was doing this now.

"I…I…guess not," she choked out.

"What's wrong?" he asked immediately noticing her tone.

"Nothing," she replied quickly.

"Brooke, I don't need to see you with my eyes to know that something is going on with you. What's on your mind?"

"Us…" she finally murmured, "I've just been thinking a lot about you and me." Lucas closed his eyes as he listened to her words. They've had this conversation numerous times, but something was different about this. "I didn't think it was gonna be this hard, Luke. Not with us," Brooke admitted. She had done the whole long distance relationship with Chase, and it didn't work; it was different with Lucas, though, and she really thought that they could get through it. Thought…past tense.

"I know; we've talked about this," said Lucas, "We're going to make this work."

"You keep saying that, but how long are we going to keep 'making it work?'" she questioned. There was silence on Lucas' end, so she continued. "We don't have an expiration date, and we can't have a long distance relationship forever. I can't do that."

"I know…" he sighed, "I don't know what to say."

Lucas had to sit down. He rubbed his forehead as he held the phone to his ear. The only thing they could hear was the sound of each other's breath.

"We can't do this," said Brooke, "I mean…I can't do this anymore."

Lucas cringed as she spoke. Those words were all too familiar. There was much silence on both ends of the line.

"Brooke, please don't do this," Lucas pleaded, "I know this hasn't been easy but…"

"But nothing," she interrupted him, "I'm not going to tell you to fight for me, because you have been. You once told me that I never fought for you, and you were right." Lucas didn't like where this was going as he remembered the party senior year when he told her that. He suddenly became confused at her next words. "It's my turn to start fighting for you…and for us," she smiled into the phone.

"What are you saying?" he asked, a smile creeping onto his face. He thought about the time she had told him to fight for her.

_**Rachel rolled her eyes and sighed defeated from the backseat as Lucas jumped out of his car to chase after Brook**_**e**_**.**_

"_**Brooke!" Lucas called after her. She turned around with her hands on her hips, and Lucas tried to explain himself. "This isn't what it looks like. Anyway, I don't get why you're so upset."**_

"_**You're kidding, right?" returned Brooke in disbelief. How could he not know that she would be upset about something like this? Just because she told him to see other people, it didn't mean she actually wanted him to.**_

"_**You're the one who wanted to be non exclusive," he argued, "I'm just doing what you wanted."**_

"_**What I wanted?" questioned Brooke. God, she wasn't even upset with him. Okay, the fact that fucking Rachel Gatina was naked in his back seat ticked her off, but she wasn't upset with him. She was disappointed and hurt. "I wanted you to fight for me!" said Brooke, "I wanted you to say there is no one else you could ever be with and that you'd rather be alone than without me. I wanted the Lucas Scott from the beach that night telling the world that he's the one for me."**_

"_**How was I supposed to know that?" asked Lucas hopelessly. He just couldn't win with this girl. He thought that by literally doing everything she told him to that she would finally want to be with him exclusively. What he didn't know was that she wanted him to prove to her that she could trust him again.**_

"_**You just are," said Brooke.**_

_**She glanced past him at Rachel and made her way over to the red head, who was sitting in the back seat. "And one more thing," she muttered. Without a seconds thought, Brooke slapped Rachel across her face. Rachel grabbed her now reddened cheek completely caught off guard. Brooke kneeled down to look Rachel in the eye. "Don't ever hit me again," she warned her.**_

_**Brooke walked off glancing at Lucas one last time. He stood there watching her leave, feeling completely defeated.**_

"I'm coming home…to Tree Hill," she finally said. Lucas' mouth fell open in shock and happiness. He was expecting her to break up with him, but she was doing quite the opposite. He fucking loved this girl. Brooke suddenly got worried when she didn't hear him reply. "Luke, are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm…I'm here," he stuttered excitedly, "I'm just surprised."

"Oh…"

"In a good way, babe, I'm happy," he corrected himself, "Wow. What's your mom gonna say? What are you going to do about Clothes Over Bro's?"

Brooke grinned to herself feeling comforted by his words.

"Victoria can say whatever the hell she wants, and I can run the company from Tree Hill," she answered, "I just want to be with you, and I want to be home."

"I wish I could kiss you right now," he sighed as he sat up in his bed.

"You'll be able to soon," Brooke reassured him, "Just have a little patience."

"I have absolutely no patience when it comes to you. When are you coming?"

"It's a surprise; you'll know when you see me," she beamed.

* * *

After talking to Brooke, Lucas couldn't fall back asleep. He had a million thoughts racing through his head, and he needed to talk to his best friend. He immediately called Haley, who seemed extremely annoyed that he was calling so late, but she agreed to stop by anyway.

He walked over to his dresser and pulled out the top drawer. Just as he did, Haley came bursting through the door.

"Okay, I'm here," she mumbled, "What is so important that it couldn't wait until tomorrow? It's like two in the morning."

"Brooke's coming home…for good," replied Lucas.

"That's awesome!" exclaimed Haley, "I can't wait to see her! When is she coming? Is she moving in with you, or is she getting her own place? Oh my God, has she…"

"Hales, slow down," Lucas laughed. Haley sighed realizing she was rambling.

"She wouldn't tell me, and we didn't really have time to talk about her living situation," answered Lucas.

"Oh, okay. So, what'd you need my help with?" asked Haley.

Lucas turned back around to his drawer and pulled out a small black box. He fidgeted with it in his hand before turning around and showing it to Haley. He opened the box, and her eyes widened realizing it was Keith's ring. Lucas smiled as he thought about the night he and Brooke had pretended to be engaged. This ring belonged on her finger. Haley closed the box and handed it back to Lucas, causing him to worry.

"What?" he questioned, "Do you think it's too soon?"

"No, no…I mean…I don't know," stuttered Haley thinking about it. Nobody wanted to see Brooke and Lucas together more than Haley, but she wondered if he was rushing to propose just because he was afraid of her leaving for New York again. "You two have been doing the whole long distance thing for so long. Don't you think that you should let her get settled before you pop the question?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he returned staring at the box, "My head is just all over the place right now. I can't even plan something special, because she won't tell me when she's coming."

"Maybe that's why she isn't telling you," noticed Haley.

"What do you mean?" Lucas wondered curiously.

"Maybe she doesn't want you to plan something special or make a big deal out of her homecoming," she shrugged.

He looked at Haley suspiciously as she turned away from him. She always did that when she knew something that he didn't. The only reason Brooke would make sure that he wasn't going to do something was if she was up to something herself.

"Alright, thanks for coming over, Hales," he smiled knowingly.

* * *

Peyton stood in front of her apartment door in Los Angeles, hesitating before going inside. She closed her eyes, thinking about her life and how she'd gotten here. Ever since her encounter with Lucas two years ago, she vowed that she was going to be a different person. So, that's exactly what she did. She wasn't in love with Lucas, and she never would be. She had wasted her time forcing herself to love him. She loved the idea of him, because she missed the person that truly completed her, Jake. Peyton soon realized that she needed to move on from Jake too.

She smiled, knowing that her boyfriend was inside. He was the one reason that she had been able to cope with these past couple years. She loved him, but she felt guilty because there were many times when she had thought about Jake. After talking to Brooke, she realized that she needed to finally find herself before she could find love, and she needed to go home to do that. Peyton finally got the courage to go inside. She smiled at him as she went inside, and he looked up from his computer and smiled in return.

"Hey, you're back early," he said focusing back on the script he was reading, "How was work?"

"I quit my job," said Peyton. This caused Julian to pay attention to her now.

"Why would you do that?" asked Julian.

"Because I'm not happy there, Julian. I haven't been for awhile now," she answered.

She wasn't even surprised that he hadn't noticed how much she hated her job. Over the past two years, their relationship had changed, especially in the past couple of months. They didn't pay attention to each other as much as they used to.

"You never talked to me about it," he noted.

"I tried!" exclaimed Peyton, "You never wanted to listen. You were always busy reading scripts or on the phone or…"

"That's because it's my job, Peyton!" he argued throwing his hands up from his seat.

"I know that," sighed Peyton, "But we never just talk anymore, and I miss you."

Julian stood up and walked over to Peyton. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. Peyton put her own arms around him, feeling comforted by the hug, which only made her dread what she had to tell him next.

"I'm gonna go home for a little while, to Tree Hill," she murmured.

Julian pulled away from her and looked away. He laughed but not out of humor. It was because he couldn't believe how naive he had been. Peyton gave him a confused look, and Julian suddenly became serious again as he crossed his arms and locked eyes with her.

"It's not just your job that you're unhappy with," he alleged, "You're unhappy with me too."

"No, it's not you, Julian…" Peyton tried to explain herself, but Julian interrupted her.

"You think I don't know that you went to see him!" exclaimed Julian, his frustration getting the better of him.

"What are you talking about?" asked Peyton nervously. Her thoughts immediately went to Jake, but she couldn't figure out how he could have known anything.

"You know what the fuck I'm talking about!" he shouted. He took a breath to calm himself down. "Five months ago," he continued, "You said you were going to Atlanta for work."

"I did," she put in.

"Don't lie to me," returned Julian, "You went to Savannah to see that Jake guy. I saw the email you sent your friend, Brooke. You told her that you were going to go see him."

Peyton closed her eyes again, remembering her trip to Savannah.

_**Peyton parked her car in front of the house…his house. She double checked the address on the piece of paper in her hand to confirm that she was at the right place. She had no idea what she was going to say to him, but she wanted to know if what she was feeling was real. She needed to either let go or give in completely. She made her way up the walkway and rang the doorbell. She contemplated turning around, but the door swung open. A young woman with long blonde hair, who looked to be about twenty years old, opened the door. **_

"_**Can I help you?" she asked studying Peyton.**_

"_**I'm sorry…um…" Peyton looked at the woman, unsure of what to say. She didn't even know what she was going to say to Jake let alone this girl who he was clearly with. "I must have the wrong house." She turned around to leave, until the woman spoke again.**_

"_**You're Peyton," she stated simply. Peyton turned around surprised that the woman knew who she was. "Come on in," she said waving Peyton inside. Peyton hesitated before following her inside the house.**_

_**Peyton admired the pictures on the wall as they walked through the hallway. They made their way into the kitchen, and Peyton sat down at the table.**_

"_**Would you like a glass of water?" the woman asked.**_

"_**Um…sure," Peyton replied politely, "Thank you." She poured them each a glass of water and sat down across from Peyton. "How do you know me?" asked Peyton curiously.**_

"_**I'm sorry, I haven't even introduced myself," the woman laughed. She held out her hand to Peyton. "I'm Sara, Jake's wife."**_

"_**His wife?" questioned Peyton.**_

"_**Yeah," smiled Sara, "We've been married for nine and a half months now." Peyton nodded and smiled slightly, even though she felt a little disappointed. "Anyway, he used to talk about you all the time when we first met, and I've seen old pictures with you in them," she went on.**_

_**Peyton couldn't help but notice the emphasis on the words 'used to.' Sara was clearly telling Peyton that Jake was over her.**_

"_**So, what brings you to Georgia?" asked Sara, narrowing her eyes.**_

"_**I um…I'm on a business trip in Atlanta," lied Peyton. Sara nodded suspiciously but decided that she had no reason not to believe Peyton, because she really didn't know her. "I thought I'd come to Savannah and visit Jake and Jenny while I'm here," finished Peyton.**_

"_**Jake should be home soon," she grinned, "He just took Jenny to the dentist; she chipped a tooth this morning. Just a baby tooth, but she was scared shitless."**_

_**Peyton was quiet for a moment. She was suddenly having doubts about coming there. What was she going to say to Jake, especially now that she knew he was married?**_

"_**You know what…I…" Peyton stuttered uncomfortably. She stood up looking down at the table before returning her eyes to Sara. "Um…I actually can't stay."**_

"_**Are you sure? Jake would love to see you," said Sara. **_

_**That made Peyton feel even worse. She had gone there to tell this woman's husband that she had feelings for him. Sara was too sweet, though, and Peyton couldn't do that. Otherwise, she would be doing the same thing she did to Brooke in high school.**_

"_**Yeah, I have to go, but thank you," returned Peyton appreciatively.**_

"_**Okay, it was nice meeting you, Peyton," said Sara.**_

_**Peyton opened the front door and walked outside closing it behind her. She let out a breath that she didn't even know she was holding. She looked back at the door and smiled, because she knew that she was doing the right thing. She was walking down the walkway towards her car, but suddenly stopped in her tracks when she saw the familiar figure out of the corner of her eye. Then, she heard the little girl's voice.**_

"_**Dad, its Peyton! The girl from the pictures you showed me!"**_

_**Peyton swallowed nervously as she turned towards him. She couldn't help but smile as she saw Jenny holding his hand and pointing at her with the other, and her heart nearly melted when she locked eyes with him.**_

"Nothing happened," Peyton finally said. Julian scoffed and looked away from her again. "Julian, I'm sorry I lied to you, but I swear nothing happened with Jake. He's not the reason I'm going home. I love you..."

She couldn't believe this was happening. Jake didn't even live in Tree Hill, so why was Julian blaming this on him?

"You don't love me, Peyt," Julian quickly refuted. Peyton parted her lips in surprise at his comment. "You chose to stay with me when you couldn't have him. I never said anything to you before, because…I thought that you could love me, but I'm done. I'm not going to be anyone's second choice, especially not yours."

"What are you saying?" she questioned. Peyton eyes were filled with tears, and she was at a loss for words. She didn't know what she could do or say to fix this.

"I'm saying that right now, you need to work on you, and I need to work on me," stated Julian. Peyton shook her head. Julian walked towards the door and looked back at her. "I'll be back later for my stuff." Peyton finally began to cry as she stared at the door that Julian had just walked out of.

* * *

Haley leaned against the door frame of Jamie's room and smiled as she watched him sleep. She couldn't believe that four years ago he was born. Her life had been far from easy since then, but she couldn't ask for anything more. She had a beautiful son, an amazing husband, and a career she truly enjoyed. Sure, teaching at Tree Hill High wasn't her dream, but she loved it.

Nathan walked up behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her. Haley sighed as Nathan kissed her neck. He, too, smiled as he admired his sleeping son. He never would have imagined that his life would be like this. It was better than anything he could have imagined, because he had Haley and Jamie. That was all he needed. He was still recovering from his back injury, but he wasn't going to let one setback overcome him. Haley left Jamie's room and went to their bedroom with Nathan following closely behind her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Nathan held her by her waist and looked into her eyes.

"I know these past few months haven't been easy, and I know we're not the couple we used to be," said Nathan, "But we're gonna get there, Hales. I promise you."

"I know," she sighed, "I love you."

"I love you too," said Nathan.

They both climbed into bed under the covers, and Haley snuggled into Nathan.

"Have you…um…talked to Lucas lately?" asked Haley.

"Not in a couple days," he answered. Nathan raised an eyebrow at Haley, because she clearly wanted to say something. "Why? Is he okay?" he questioned.

"Yeah, he's great. Brooke told him that she's coming home. I talked to her this morning, and she wants us to help her surprise him," answered Haley.

"Alright, that's good news," added Nathan, "It's about time things change around here."

**A/N: So, what did you think? Review and Let Me Know! All Suggestion and Comments are helpful :)**


	11. Author's Note 2

Okay, I just want all of you to know that I am working on the next chapter for this story. I've had a bit of writer's block due to lack of inspiration. I have a plan for the story…it's just a matter of putting it all into words and writing it down. So please don't forget about the story or stop reading. I will get the next chapter posted as soon as possible. As always, thanks for reading, and if you have any suggestions, then review or PM to let me know!


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